


Bones

by pleuvoirx



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Anorexia, Canon Compliant, Character Development, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Eating Disorders, F/M, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Other, Other tags but I suck at taggings, Polyamory, Recovery, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:13:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29390340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleuvoirx/pseuds/pleuvoirx
Summary: "i lost myself again, lost myself and i am nowhere to be found."in which a girl suffering from anorexia finds the key to her recovery[Volturi Kings][New Moon-Breaking Dawn Pt. 2][Originally Posted on Wattpad as Pleuvoirx]
Relationships: Aro (Twilight)/Caius (Twilight)/Marcus (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	1. 0.1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Obviously there is a big trigger warning on this story as it deals with eating disorders! please keep that in mind before you read!
> 
> Updates will be posted randomly!

Everything happens for a reason.

At least, that's what most people believe in order to keep some sort of sanity for themselves when things don't go their way. Of course, Sophie Swan doesn't necessarily believe in this. She believes that people choose their own destinies and, in return, choose their own consequences.

She didn't always have this mindset - in fact, before she was diagnosed with her eating disorder, she was quite the optimist. Especially compared to Bella, her younger sister. Sophie was always hopeful about what her future held for her when she was younger. She had her mind set on the college she wanted to attend, the places she wanted to visit and how many children she was going 

to have one day.

Then she skipped her first meal.  
After that, it was a downwards spiral. Sophie obsessed with counting her calories and measuring out portions of food, so she didn't go over her limit. When she wasn't busy or when there were no  
prying eyes - not that there ever was since her father was never home - she was trying to burn as many calories as she possibly could.

Within months, her once healthy body had started to decay.

It wasn't long until she was a pile of bones.

*

Sophie's dull blue eyes lingered on the doorknob. The room she was in was a sullen gray, almost as dark and gloomy as her current mood was. She should've been more happy - her nurse had just released her from her long stay of inpatient care.

However, she found that she wasn't happy at all.

Being discharged meant that she would go home to her father and younger sister. It meant she would have to see their disappointed faces when she told them she was kicked out of yet another facility. She'd have to tell them that she hadn't gained a pound back since she'd been gone.

That was the worst part about having an eating disorder, Sophie decided, disappointing her family.

As she awaited her nurse's return, she allowed her thin fingers to trail up her arm. The blue hospital gown she wore hung off of her body, not doing much to hide how skinny she was. Sophie's eyes moved to her arm as well, watching as she attempted to wrap her fingers around the top of her arm.

She noticed that her fingers were still only inches apart - that hadn't changed since she was admitted. Sophie huffed in frustration, giving her arm one last squeeze before she let her hand fall to her side again.

A knock on the door startled her, causing her to sit up straighter. She greeted the man who walked in, the same man who had just kicked her out of his facility. The doctor offered an apologetic smile as he handed her her clothes. "I am sorry about this, Sophie. Truly. I wish there was more I could do, but if you're not going to help yourself, then..."

"I understand." Her voice was small, weak. "Thanks for trying, doctor."

"Please get better." He told her, helping her off the hospital table. "Please try."

With a final smile, the doctor walked out of the room, leaving Sophie alone once again. She sighed once more as she looked at the clothes in her hand. She set them on the bed, slipping off the gown before she grabbed the sweatpants.

She rolled them up at the waist two times before she grabbed the baby blue sweatshirt she often wore. The sleeves on the sweatshirt hung over her bony hands, hiding them from everyone’s view.

Her dull brown hair was tied into a ponytail, the hair tie pulled around tightly to hold the thin hair in place. Her blue eyes - the only part of her tying her to her mom, Renee - avoided the mirror as she slipped on her thick socks.

With a final look around the room, Sophie slipped on her shoes and walked out of the door. She knew the walk to her room like the back of her hand now. A part of her was sad to be leaving the facility. She had promised her father and sister that she would try this time. Instead she got kicked out.

Sophie hadn't seen her sister since July, which was just over a month ago. She would have started her senior year of high school by now. Bella had moved to Forks with her and her dad in January of the same year. While it was an adjustment to have her little sister around, she appreciated the extra company.

While she had it anyway.

Bella soon met her current boyfriend, Edward Cullen, and she quickly devoted all of her extra time to him. Sophie had heard of the Cullen family before - Carlisle was one of the doctors who was first assigned to her case. They were a nice enough family, but Sophie thought there was something strange about them.

"You're out of here, huh?" Sophie's roommate, Eli, had walked into the room just as she grabbed her bag.

Sophie nodded, giving her friend a smile. "I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but I lasted longer than the last time."

Eli laughed softly, before she pulled her friend into a hug. "I'll miss you, Soph. Good luck."

"Thank you, Eli." Sophie said. "Good luck."

Sophie couldn't help the feeling of despair she felt when she saw the familiar cop cruiser outside. Her dad leant against it, obviously waiting for her with his black sunglasses covering his eyes. She sighed heavily, pulling her shoulders back as she approached him.

"Hi dad." Sophie greeted him softly, noting the way his lips fell when he saw her. He was disappointed in her, that much was obvious, but he didn't comment on it.

"Hi Soph." His arms wrapped around her almost too tightly, but Sophie didn't say a word. She enjoyed the hug from her father while it lasted. "Let's go home, okay?"

Sophie nodded her head in agreement, watching as her father took her bags and stuffed them in the back seat. She got in the passenger side, buckling her seatbelt as Charlie got in beside her.

The car ride was tense. Sophie could tell that Charlie wanted to say something, but he didn't utter a word. While Sophie was generally outspoken like Renee, she didn't like confronting people when she didn't have to. That was something her and her father had in common - neither of them liked confrontation.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Bella's excited to have you home. She wanted to come with me, but she's in school."

Sophie had graduated from high school 2 years ago. She had attempted to go to college - the University of California, Los Angeles, or better known as UCLA. However, the struggles of her anorexia were too much to deal with on top of studying for her major in design.

She ended up dropping out halfway through her freshman year.

"Ah." Sophie hummed, taking a glance at the clock. It was nearly 3:30, which meant Bella would be home by the time they got there. "I've been excited to see her too. Her birthday is coming up soon."

Charlie hummed back to her. The two fell back into their silence, not knowing how to address the matter at hand. Sophie knew that her father loved her, but she wasn't sure how much more he  
could take of her disorder. He had been dealing with it since she was seventeen, and there seemed to be no end in sight. She hated putting him through this over and over again.

Bella was outside of the house when Charlie pulled into the driveway. Sophie smiled when she saw her sister, getting out of the car immediately after it was in park. Bella's brown eyes took in her  
appearance, though she hid her emotions better than their father did as she wrapped her sister in her arms.

Sophie held her tightly. "Good to see you, Bells."

"You too." Bella released her bone-thin sister, eager to get her inside and catch her up with everything that had been going on. Her eyes were filled with dismay though as she turned to the door.  
"Come on."

The smell of cooking food hit Sophie like a wave the moment they walked in the door. She noticed Bella and Charlie studying her and plastered a smile on her face. "Smells great. What're you cooking?"

"I started cooking when I got home. I figured it'd be nice to eat as a family for once." Bella explained, disappearing through the door to the kitchen. "It's chicken and broccoli."

"Right." Sophie muttered to herself, looking at the stove to see what her sister was making. Her mouth began to water at the sight of the chicken in the skillet. Bella knew that Sophie liked chicken - she ate it more than any other dinner meal that Bella or Charlie made, mainly because it was healthier and lower in calories.

Dinner was served quickly, and Sophie was soon cutting the chicken on her plate into smaller pieces. She hadn't wanted any of the potatoes that Bella had made but she did grab some broccoli  
and began to cut those up as well.

Charlie and Bella watched her in silence, choosing not to say a word. Sophie was eating, at least a little bit and that was better than nothing. As Sophie placed another place of chicken on her fork, she met eyes with Bella. "How have you been?"

Bella smiled. "I've been really good."

"I'm assuming that has a lot to do with Edward." Sophie teased her, laughing at the red tint that covered her cheeks.

Charlie shifted in his chair, growing uncomfortable at the talk of his daughter's love life. Bella laughed lightly. "I guess."

Sophie put her fork down a few moments later. A little less than half of her chicken was still on her plate when she was done. Bella and Charlie shared a subtle look when Sophie left the table - before her inpatient, she wouldn't have eaten that much. That gave them a slight bit of hope that she was still trying.

Meanwhile, Sophie had disappeared up to her room. She placed her bags next to her bed before she crashed onto the blankets. She let out a sigh as her hand found her arm again. Her thoughts drifted to her family, wishing that she had kept her promise to them during her inpatient stay. It would make everything so much easier if she just recovered.

They wouldn't say anything to her, but she knew that they were disappointed with her attempt. Sophie let her arm go, moving her eyes up to the ceiling. In that moment, she decided that she wasn't going to disappoint them anymore.

She hated that her promise was so hard to keep.


	2. 0.2

Sophie had the house to herself the next day. Bella was at school and Charlie would be at work until the late afternoon. For most of the morning, Sophie was moving around the house. She spent a lot of time going up and down the stairs, feeling guilty for the dinner and breakfast she had ate that morning.

But Bella had made the meal for her just as she did last night, and she didn't want to turn it down. She promised herself the night before.

When Sophie physically couldn't bring herself to go up and down the stairs again, she settled with doing sit-ups on her bedroom floor. Her back screamed in pain every time she went down, the hard floor digging into her spine each time.

Sophie laid on the floor, panting after doing her exercise. Her head was pounding, her throat dry from not having any water. Hipbones stuck out from under her shirt, plainly obvious as Sophie lied still. She grunted when she pushed herself up, ignoring the pulling feeling in her stomach as she chugged from her water bottle.

"Okay." Sophie whispered to herself as she looked around her room. It looked just like it had when she left it - her pale-yellow walls were decorated with photos of random things. Her bed was pushed up against the wall, sitting next to her desk which was cluttered with her sketchbooks.

Sophie walked over to the desk, trailing her fingers over the sketchbooks. She opened the one closest to her, noting that it was the newest one she had. There were only a few drawings in the book and one that was barely started.

Her love of drawing began when she began middle school. Sophie loved beautiful things and she made it her goal to recreate those beautiful things onto paper.

She pulled out the chair to her desk and picked up one of her pencils. At first, her tired eyes only observed the drawing. It was a landscape picture, but Sophie couldn't remember where the scenery was inspired from. While Sophie had been in school for design - fashion mostly - she started out drawing pictures of the forests and beaches surrounding Forks. One of her best friends, Jacob Black, lived down by La Push beach, so she was able to get down there a lot.

She started drawing people when she was sixteen. She got most of her inspiration from television shows such as Say Yes to the Dress and America's Next Top Model. At first, her drawings were normal - girls in flowing dresses or dressed in bold patterns. However, the more she drew, the skinnier the girls became.

The skinnier the drawings became, the skinnier Sophie became.

Sophie loved beautiful things - she wished she didn't see broken bodies as beautiful. She wished she didn't wish to be beautiful.

Sophie sighed and sat down her pencil once more. There was no point in continuing the drawing if she couldn't remember what the rest of the landscape looked like. She'd have to remember how to get to the meadow in the drawing before she could continue it.

As she leaned back in her chair, her blue eyes landed on the pack of cigarettes sitting on her desk. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth as she contemplated smoking one. She hadn't smoked in over a month, considering she wasn't allowed to have a pack during her stay. Sophie hated the cigarettes more often than not, but they were another distraction from the constant ache in her stomach.

Plus, they were almost as addicting as skipping meals - almost.

Despite her better judgement, Sophie grabbed the pack and headed downstairs. She took a seat on the front step, the only place she could really sit outside of her house. She lifted the lighter she had to her lips, lighting the cancer stick that rested between them. Sophie took a drag of the cigarette, exhaling slowly as she released the smoke.

She closed her eyes, resting her head beside the front door. She allowed herself to rest for a few moments, tired of all of the exercise she had been doing. Though, her eyes quickly reopened when she heard the sound of a truck turning in their driveway. She cursed under her breath when she saw Bella and quickly put out her cigarette.

"Hey." Bella ignored her sister's action as she sat next to her.

"Hey." Sophie greeted her back with a tight smile. "How was school?"

Bella only shrugged. "It was alright."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Sophie chewing on her bottom lip as she thought of something to talk about. "Your birthday is coming up."

Bella wrinkled her nose and Sophie raised her eyebrows. "What was that face for?"

"I don't know." Bella mumbled. "I guess I don't like that I'm getting older."

A loud laugh escaped Sophie's lips before she could stop it. She nudged Bella's shoulder with her own, a teasing smirk now on her face. "You're turning eighteen and you sound like someone who just turned forty. You're still a baby."

"Right." Bella answered. Sophie could tell there was more to her answer and she narrowed her eyes at her sister briefly. When Bella wouldn't meet her gaze, Sophie sighed. The two fell into silence once more.

Bella looked over at her sister, taking in her small, pale frame. Her blue eyes stared straight ahead, focused on nothing. Her dull brown hair was tied in a bun, showing off her cheekbones perfectly. Sophie really was the perfect mix of Renee and Charlie while Bella mainly resembled her father.

"Have you told mom you're home yet?"

Sophie shook her head. "I meant to call her today, but I forgot."

Sophie and Renee's relationship was simple. They got along easily, but they weren't as close as Renee and Bella were. Sophie tried to talk to her mom whenever she could, but sometimes it was just hard to talk to her. Her mother talked a lot about a lot.

Bella hummed. "I'm going to Edward's later if you want to come. He said you were welcome."

Sophie and Edward had met briefly on a few occasions. The last time they had talked to each other was the night of their prom. It was a short conversation and Sophie couldn't even remember what they spoke about. "Won't it be weird?"

Bella shook her head. "No, it'll be nice. Alice wants to meet you anyway."

Sophie snorted. Bella had told her all about Alice. While the girl seemed sweet, she figured she could be a bit too... loud for her taste. Bella and Sophie liked the silence, though usually Bella was quieter than her sister.

"Fine." Sophie gave her sister a look. "When are we going?"

*

Sophie couldn't remember ever feeling so awkward. Edward had met both her and Bella outside of his house. Bella went to him immediately and Sophie felt the need to look away from Bella and her boyfriend.

"Sophie." Edward greeted her next. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." She mumbled, looking around. Their house was literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a massive forest. The Cullens must have liked their privacy. The house was huge as well, and equally as beautiful. She really liked their glass windows.

"Anyway." Edward broke her from her thoughts. "Come in."

She followed behind the couple, her aqua eyes taking in their house as they walked through it. Edward seemed to guide them to the living room, where a short pixie-haired girl sat with a smile. In fact, as Sophie looked around, she noticed the rest of the Cullen family accompanied the sofas in the room. She glared at Bella, annoyed that she hadn't told her the whole family would be here.  
Carlisle Cullen was the first to greet her when they arrived in the living room. He looked the same as he always did when Sophie saw him - soft eyes and a warm smile directed at her. She couldn't help but smile back at the doctor as they exchanged hellos. Sophie didn't notice the rest of the family's expressions as they looked over her - baggy clothes and bone tight skin, dark purple bags stood out under her eyes.

She looked scary.

"How have you been?" He asked, guiding her over to the sofa. "I hear you were just discharged from inpatient."

"Yeah." She mumbled, glancing around at the rest of the family. The blonde boy known as Jasper stood stiffly against the wall, his arm wrapped tightly around Alice who was now standing beside   
him. As she locked eyes with him, she felt her nerves melt away completely. It was a weird sensation, to feel so calm so quickly.

Her blue eyes wandered to the biggest man in the room - Emmett as Bella had told her. He seemed friendly as he flashed her a smile. He stood next to Rosalie Hale, the only blonde woman in the family. Sophie thought she was the prettiest woman she had ever seen as she continued to observe the family.

Finally, Esme Cullen had sat next to Carlisle, resting a hand on his arm. "It's great to meet you, Sophie. Bella has told us so much about you."

"Likewise." She smiled back at the woman. She felt a little awkward being the center of attention in the room. Usually, people gave her her space once they saw how she looked, and she liked it that way.

"I'm Alice." The pixie-haired girl who had been standing by Jasper was in front of her suddenly, sticking a hand out in her direction. Sophie jumped back, feeling her heart speed up slightly from the girl's sudden appearance.

Sophie hesitantly shook the girl's hand, startling slightly when she felt how cold her skin was. "I'm Sophie."

Alice sat next to her on the couch, an excited grin eating away at her face. Sophie hadn't even realized Bella and Edward were gone from the room at that point. "Bella told me you were in school for design. I've always been interested in doing something like that. How was it?"

"Oh." Sophie sighed as she thought of her time at college. "I wasn't there long. I didn't even finish most of my pre-reqs for design."

"I'll have to see some of your work sometime!" Alice still seemed happy to look at Sophie's drawings, even if she didn't finish college.

"Yeah, I'll have to show you." Sophie answered back, slowly beginning to feel more at ease.

The two sat and talked for what felt like ages. It was nice to have someone to talk to who wasn't a part of her family or a support group. And Alice didn't hesitate to talk about anything. They bonded over fashion and design easily, and Alice offered to take her shopping in Seattle one day. 

Sophie had accepted, though she wasn't sure if she really wanted to go. Clothes didn't fit her as much as they once had. Most of the time, she was seen wearing sweatpants and baggy shirts.   
Before her eating disorder, she wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of sweats.

Bella had reappeared after a short time, telling her sister that it was time to go home. Sophie nodded and turned to tell Alice goodbye when she stopped herself. She frowned, reaching her hand out to shake the girl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Alice was staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and mouth ajar as she stared at something that wasn't there. Bella and Edward moved instantly, both recognizing that Alice was having a vision. Edward looked at Sophie with wide eyes when he moved in front of her, causing the girl to frown back at him.

Alice gasped suddenly, blinking quickly as she regained her focus. Her wide amber eyes moved from Edward to Sophie. "I'm sorry. I just zoned out, I guess. It happens a lot."

"Right." Sophie narrowed her eyes at her new friend but turned to her sister when she shook her shoulder.

"Let's go Soph." Bella told her, guiding her out of the house now. Sophie turned to say her goodbyes as they left.

"Wait!" Alice called after them before they were completely gone. She appeared behind them, looking excited now, as if she didn't just have some weird episode. "We're having a party for Bella tomorrow night. You should come, too."

Sophie only nodded, agreeing to come to her sister's birthday party. This time, when they turned to leave, no one stopped them. The feeling developing in her stomach was different than what she normally felt. She wasn't feeling a hunger pain anymore, but something more dreadful now.

She had a sinking feeling that the Cullens were hiding a big secret. Sophie wasn't sure if she wanted to know just how big it was.


	3. 0.3

The night of Bella's party arrived quickly and, before she knew it, Sophie was standing in front of her closet not knowing what to wear. She chewed on her bottom lip, letting her fingers tug on different articles of clothing.

She hadn't touched most of these clothes in ages. Most of them were from the very start of her eating disorder and she knew they would hang off of her if she tried to wear them now. Sophie could hear Bella calling her name and sighed. They would be leaving soon, and she still wasn't ready.

Tired of looking, Sophie just grabbed a random shirt off of a hanger - a black and yellow flannel - and closed the door. The leggings she pulled on barely sagged on her now and Sophie turned to look at herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were sad as she looked at herself, and her heart tugged in her chest. The leggings had fit her properly only a few months ago.

The realization of what she was doing hit her like a truck - she was slowly killing herself. Hipbones and bony fingers gave away the struggles that Sophie dealt with just one look and, for the first time in a long time, Sophie wanted to gain weight.

Her thoughts were gone when Bella called for her again.

She tugged on her Converse shoes before she rushed down the stairs to meet her sister. Bella was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a simple green dress. Sophie would have smiled at the sight of her sister dressed up if the girl didn't look so annoyed.

"The party doesn't start until six." Sophie told her. "It's only four-thirty. Why are you in such a rush?"

Bella only shrugged. "I'm not."

Sophie rolled her eyes but followed the younger girl out the door without another word. The car ride was silent, aside from the soft music playing through the truck stereo.

Bella disappeared with Edward when they arrived at the Cullen house, leaving Sophie to stand awkwardly with the rest of the family. Alice greeted her with open arms. "It's good to see you again, Sophie. We're glad you came."

"Thanks." Sophie mumbled, throwing her a small smile.

"Do you mind helping us set up? There's not much else to do." Alice asked, holding out the plate of cake towards her.

Sophie gulped as she looked at the dessert. It was a small, round cake coated in chocolate icing. It didn't even look that great, but Sophie had loved cake at one time. She could feel the saliva building in her mouth as she looked at it, vaguely remembering the taste of the chocolate dessert.

But then she remembered how many calories were in a slice - 352 calories with the icing. Her cravings disappeared immediately.

Alice slowly drew her arms back, almost as if she realized what she was doing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"It's fine." Sophie grabbed the cake from Alice's hands. "Where do you want me to put it?"

"Just on the back table." Alice's voice was quiet now, but Sophie only brushed past her to the table she had been shown. She placed it down next to a bowl filled with strawberries, watermelon, and oranges. She grabbed a strawberry - only 4 calories a piece - as she looked at the decor. A multitude of roses decorated the table as well, and Sophie couldn't help but smile at how the table   
looked.

Alice had disappeared by the time Sophie was done. It left only her, the tall man and the blonde, who she remembered to be Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett smiled at her in a friendly way and Sophie couldn't help but mirror it.

"I'm Emmett." He held a hand out to her. She took it lightly, noticing that they were just as cold as Alice's were. "Nice to meet you - officially."

"Right." Sophie breathed. They hadn't spoken the day before - Alice had talked too much for Sophie to get the chance to speak to anyone else. Not that she really minded since Alice was nice enough.

"This is Rosalie." Emmett motioned towards the blonde who only looked towards Sophie briefly. Sophie nearly scoffed at the girl's behavior but decided to drop it. She wasn't a fan of rude people, but she wasn't going to ruin Bella's night by saying anything to the blonde. "She's not very welcoming to strangers."

She laughed at that, causing Emmett's grin to widen. Rosalie shot the man a dangerous look before she turned back to Sophie. Her hard eyes softened slightly as she took in the sight of the malnourished girl and she brought a smile to her mouth. "I apologize. You can call me Rose if you'd like."

Sophie's guard dropped and she nodded at Rose. "It's nice to meet all of you, really. I hope I'm not intruding all of a sudden."

"Don't worry." Rose shook her head as she went back to lighting the candles that lined the wall. "It may sound rude, but we don't invite many people over to the house. You're not intruding."

The two exchanged small smiles again before Sophie began to help her. Before she knew it, the room was completely decorated, and Alice was calling Bella and Edward downstairs. Bella and Edward descended down the stairs, stopping only when Alice grabbed the girl into a hug.

She pulled back and pushed a box into Bella's hand. Bella frowned slightly, raising it to her head to shake it. Emmett snickered. "I've already installed it in your truck. Finally, a decent sound system for that piece of cr-."

"Hey!" Bella stopped him. "Don't hate on the truck."

Even Sophie couldn't help but laugh at her sister. Alice handed her another present, claiming it was from Rosalie. The blonde claimed it was only a necklace and, as Bella thanked her, Sophie noted that they were only being civil with each other.

"Here." Bella was handed an envelope next. "This is from Carlisle and Esme."

"You've been looking a little pale lightly." Esme smiled as she wrapped her arm around Carlisle's. Bella smiled at the two, though her face scrunched up slightly and she let out a sound of pain. She held up her finger, brushing off a bit of blood. "Just a paper cut." 

Sophie felt the atmosphere change quickly. Everyone in the room looked towards Jasper, who looked as if he'd been kicked in the gut. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before they reopened, and he focused her gaze on Bella.

A sharp gasp left Sophie's lips as she watched Edward push Bella back into the table that had been decorated nicely with the cake and roses. She rushed to her sister, crouching down beside her just as Edward lunged at Jasper. Sophie watched the scene in disbelief. The boy moved like a lion pouncing to attack his prey.

The men grabbed Jasper's arms, pulling him away from Bella and Sophie. Alice stepped in front of him, holding his face in her hands. "It's okay, Jasper. It's just a bit of... blood."

Everyone turned to the Swan sisters now, focused solely on the blood that was gushing from Bella's arm. Carlisle, who was just as Jasper's side, appeared next to the girl in an instant, causing Sophie to jump back.

The blonde man held up a hand, blood coating his pale fingers. Sophie looked towards the family - each of them looked sick, eyes trained on the wound on her sister's arm. Sophie felt herself becoming ill as well. What the hell had her sister brought her into?

Alice left the room as quickly as her siblings did, apologizing to Bella and Sophie. Edward was still there, his face curled in disgust as he watched Carlisle attend to Bella. Carlisle looked toward his son. "Go check on Jasper. I'm sure he's very upset right now - he won't listen to anyone else."

Edward paused for a moment longer before he left the room, too. Sophie watched him leave before turning to Carlisle and her sister. "Anyone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

*

How her sister ended up in the world of the supernatural, Sophie felt like she would never know. Bella was always the more cautious of the two, and yet she was involved in a completely different world. Her mind was going a mile a minute, still trying to process the events that had unfolded at the party.

The Cullens' were vampires.

Her sister was dating a vampire.

Sophie thought she was the weird one in the family.

It had been three days since the party. According to Bella, her boyfriend hadn't spoke to her since. Sophie could tell her sister was worried, but she continuously reassured her that it had to be a weird situation for everyone - her boyfriend's brother had nearly attacked her after all.

Sophie had been in her room for most of the day. She didn't have too much to do since Bella and Charlie weren't home and she really didn't feel like drawing. She figured her and Bella could drive to La Push once she got home to see their friend, Jacob Black, but once the clock hit six and there was no sign of her sister, she began to get worried.

Maybe she had reached out to Edward and she was at the Cullen house - but she usually told Sophie if she was going there after school. Charlie found his oldest in the living room when he returned home from work, instantly growing concerned at the worried expression on her face.

"Soph?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't heard from Bella since this morning." She said, twisting her fingers together. "Have you heard from her? Is she at the Cullens'?"

The expression on Charlie's face only worried her more as he shook his head. "The Cullens' left town today."

Charlie arranged a search party for his daughter quickly. Sophie was stuck on her front porch, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. Jacob Black - one of her best friends from La Push - sat next to her quietly. He seemed to be equally as worried as Sophie was, though he didn't say a word. Sophie didn't like to talk when she was nervous or scared.

It was dark now and Sophie was worried that the search party would be called off soon. She didn't believe that her sister would just leave town, leave her and her father just like that. Though, she was dragged back to the time Bella left to go to their mother's and shivered. Maybe she would do it to them again.

Maybe the Cullen family had forced her to go with them. They were vampires after all, so maybe they had to take her so their secret wouldn't get out. She shook that thought out of her head - Sophie knew about the Cullen secret, too.

Her thoughts were interrupted by sudden shouting by the edge of the forest. She stood quickly, ignoring how lightheaded she felt as she ran towards her father. Another man from La Push - Sam Uley, if she remembered correctly - had her sister gathered in his arms, stalking out of the forest.

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief, nearly crumbling into her father as he took her younger sister into his own arms. Charlie thanked Sam profusely before he turned into the house with her. Sophie stayed back, throwing her arms around the man's neck before she could stop herself.

"Thank you, Sam." She mumbled before releasing him and turning to follow her father.


	4. 0.4

4 months later

Sophie rubbed her tired eyes, nearly crying when she heard Bella screaming once again. With a glance at her clock, she saw that it was just past two in the morning. It had been like this for   
months - Bella suffered from night terrors and in turn, would wake the whole house with horrendous screams.

Sophie blamed Edward. And with that, grew an unadulterated hate for the boy.

With a groan, Sophie pushed herself up from the bed, her tired muscles protesting from every move she took. Her sister's own troubles hadn't made Sophie's any better - she was still doing exactly what she always did.

It made her hate Edward even more - now Charlie had two daughters to worry over.

When Sophie made it to the hall, she caught her father as he reached the top of the stairs. She shook her head at him, crossing her frail arms over her chest. "Go back to bed. I've got it."  
Charlie could see the dark circles under her eyes even without light. But he nodded his head anyway. Both of his daughters were stubborn, but Sophie was ten times worse than his youngest.   
"Tomorrow night, I get her. You need to sleep."

"What do you think I do during the day?" She tried to joke, but the look Charlie gave her said he knew she didn't sleep. She did everything but sleep. "Fine. Now go to bed."

She disappeared into Bella's room, leaning against the doorway for a moment as she watched her sister. Sophie's heart broke as she watched Bella toss and turn, her hand resting over her chest as she let out another scream.

Sophie rushed over to her, gathering her into her arms as she rocked her. She kissed the top of her sister's head, smoothing her hair down with bony fingers as she shushed her. "It's okay, Bells. You're okay. I've got you."

*

When Sophie awoke, it was nearly one in the afternoon. She sat up, still in Bella's room and stretched as she looked around. She never really saw Bella's room in the day, since she was only in there at night to comfort her and usually was back in her bed when she left for school.

She appreciated that they let her sleep in.

She stood from the bed, looking around her sister's room as she did. It was clean for the most part. Nothing was out of place aside from the messy bed, but Sophie made it quickly. As she turned to leave, she noticed a piece of paper taped to her bedside table. When she looked closer, she realized it was a picture - a picture that was clearly a photo of Bella and Edward, though her sister creased herself out of it.

Sophie nearly picked it up to fold it back into place but decided against it. She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth, shaking her head at the photo as she walked out of Bella's room and made her way downstairs.

It had been a rough couple of months for everyone in the house. The first month after the Cullens left, Bella didn't speak to anyone. She hardly ate the first week, but after Sophie practically begged her to eat something, she finally did.

That was a relief to both Sophie and Charlie.

Besides leaving the house for school, Bella locked herself in her room constantly. Sometimes the two would see her at meals, but Bella usually took her plate upstairs with her. Sophie couldn't stand to be in the house a lot of the time that Bella was there, as terrible as it was. She was spending most of her time with Jacob. Her best friend from inpatient, Eli, was supposed to be out in a few weeks, so she hoped to make time to see her as well.

Sophie grabbed a banana when she was downstairs, eating it slowly as she sat at the kitchen table. She had a glass of water beside her, her dainty fingers gently gliding over the glass. She had told Jake that she'd drive down to La Push that day, but she was thinking about going back to sleep.

Charlie was right - she needed to sleep.

The weight she had gained during inpatient had shed off and she was back to where she was before she was admitted. The stress of taking care of Bella wasn't helping her condition. She felt bad for failing on her promise to her family.

A part of her really wanted to get better, to be a normal girl and finish college and fall in love. But the sick part of her brain told her it wasn't worth it unless she was skinny. She hated that she   
believed it.

Suddenly upset with herself, Sophie set down her half-eaten banana and started back up the stairs. She collapsed onto her bed when she reached her room, curling under the blankets as she closed her eyes.

Charlie and Bella were both home when she woke up that evening. The smell of chicken wafted into her nose and she breathed it in, her mouthwatering as she made her way down the stairs. The two were sitting in the kitchen, Charlie at the stove and Bella at the table. Neither of them said a word, leaving the room tense.

Sophie sat down beside her sister, shooting her sister a small smile. Bella didn't even look at her.

Charlie served dinner quickly and the three of them ate in silence. Sophie tried to ignore the caloric calculator in her head as she stared at her plate of chicken and vegetables. The food felt dry in her mouth, but she continued to eat it.

Charlie cast looks to Bella every once in a while, obviously wanting to say something to her. Sophie helped with dishes that night, trying to ignore the growing tension between Bella and her father.

When Bella went to bed that night, Sophie stopped Charlie to speak with him. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What was with you tonight?"

"What?" He asked, his eyes barely straying from the game that was on tv.

She rolled her eyes. "You and Bella. What are you going to say to her?"

He looked at her now, raising his own brows. "How do you know I'm going to say anything to her?"

"Oh, please." Sophie smiled. "It was obvious."

Charlie sighed, turning the tv off now and Sophie paused. Charlie hardly ever turned off a game. He turned towards her and Sophie finally saw how stressed and tired he was. His brown eyes were dull, bags beginning to form under them. His shoulders sagged as he rubbed the crease lines on his forehead.

"I'm going to send Bella to Jacksonville, with your mom. I-." He sighed again, locking eyes with his oldest daughter. "I can't handle it anymore."

Sophie moved to wrap her arms around her dad, burying her face in his neck. She felt her heart break again, felt tears sting the back of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, dad. Really."  
Charlie didn't say anything. He only wrapped his arms around his daughter in return.


	5. 0.5

Sophie sat in Jake's garage the next day, watching as he worked on his newest car. Soft rock music flowed out from his radio, bathing the garage in its sound. It had been a week since Charlie told Bella he was sending her Jacksonville. She had - of course - refused.

Instead, she tried to convince Charlie and Sophie she was fine by going out with Jessica Stanley. Sophie just couldn't believe she was desperate enough to hang out with the girl - she didn't think her sister liked her very much. 

The sound of metal hitting the floor knocked Sophie out of her trance and she looked up to her friend. He was rubbing his face with his sleeve, sighing deeply as he did. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said, picking up another tool. "There's so much to do with this car."

"You say that every time you start a new project." Sophie pointed out, causing Jake to glare at her.

"And I will continue to." Sophie only laughed at him, noting the smile that was also growing on his lips.

Despite their four-year age difference, the two had been best friends for as long as she could remember. Charlie and Jacob's father, Billy, had been friends for ages so the two grew up together.   
When Sophie first started having trouble with her eating habits, she tried to push Jacob away in fear that he'd judge her. Instead, the boy stuck by her side through it all, offering his shoulder whenever she needed it.

"How's your sister?" He asked, glancing at Sophie as he did.

Sophie shrugged. "The same. She went out to the mall or something with her friend a few days ago. I think she's trying to convince us that she's better, but I don't believe her."

"So, what are you guys doing to do then?" He sat up now, his full attention on her. "It's not like they're going to come back anytime soon, or at all, just because of her feelings."

She laughed at him. "That's what I think. I really feel bad for her, but I don't personally know what she saw in him."

The two laughed together now. Sophie was glad that Jake thought the same thing as she did. She knew that the teen had a small crush on her sister and thought it was endearing, even though she knew her sister didn't feel the same.

Bella and Jacob hadn't been around each other much before. Sure, they hung out when they were children and Bella visited for the summer, but the two never kept in touch. 

"Has Sam said anything to you?" Sophie changed the topic now, wanting to know if the man who found her sister had spoken to Jacob. Jacob seemed to think that Sam had it out for him, for whatever reason.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "No, not recently. Just his usual looks."

Sophie shivered. "Ugh. Why don't you just ask him what his problem is?"

Jacob was about to answer when the two were interrupted by a truck rolling onto the gravel. The two shared a look before heading outside. Sophie stopped short by the door, shocked to see Bella's truck pulling into the driveway.

Jacob rushed over, clearly excited that Bella was there. Sophie examined the truck, narrowing her eyes at the objects covered by a tarp in the bed. She joined them after they greeted each other, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I brought you something." Bella told Jacob, motioning to the bed of the truck. 

Sophie and Jacob shared another look as Bella moved to uncover it. Sophie's jaw dropped when she saw the two motorcycles and she looked to her sister with wide eyes. "Since when are you into motorcycles?"

"Since now." Bella told her before turning her attention back to Jacob. "I saved them from a junk yard. They're probably more trouble than they're worth, but..."

Jacob appeared to be in deep thought, his eyes examining the bikes thoroughly before he looked towards the girls. "I'm in. When do we start?"

Bella laughed, almost surprised that Jacob had actually agreed to work on the bikes. Sophie scoffed, looking to Bella. "Are you sure you'll be able to ride them?"

Bella only shrugged, looking back to Jake. "Let's see if they work first."

Jacob was already working to unload the bikes when Bella moved to stop him. "Jake, those are really... heavy?" She was confused as she looked him over. "You're buff, Jacob. You're, like, sixteen how did that happen?"

The two laughed. "Age is just a number, baby. What are you, like forty now?"

Bella's smile slowly faded, and she nodded. "It feels like that sometimes."

Jacob chuckled before looking back to Sophie, who was now shivering from standing in the January weather. "Let's get you inside, Soph. Are you wanting to help?"

"Sure." She nodded, her nose turning red and her hands wrapped around her small arms. "Tell me where you want me."

*

Bella hadn't woken up the house from nightmares since she started hanging out with Jacob. Sophie had called to tell him the first morning after they started, so happy she was near tears. She couldn't thank her friend enough for helping Bella find some comfort.

She had given the two their space for the past few days, wanting to stay out of the cold. Because of her low body weight, she was cold most of the time and winter weather did not help her in any way. Sophie didn't mind not hanging out with the two some days, knowing that Jacob was helping her sister either way.

By the time Sophie hung out with them again, Jacob had finished one of the bikes and was nearly finished with the last one. Sophie drove with them when the bikes were done, excited to see how they had turned out.

She sat in between Bella and Jacob as they drove through La Push. Jacob apparently had a place he wanted to drive the motorcycles to see if they would work and it was too far from his house to walk. 

Sophie was staring out the window, tuning out Jacob and Bella's conversation as she did. Her mind wandered back to her artwork as she studied the forests around her. She really wanted to go back to school, but with her weight and mental health fluctuating, it was too difficult to tell how well she'd do.

She wanted to be able to fully invest into her studies. Though, every time she went into recovery, she would slip, and it would start again.

Tires squealing broke her out of her thoughts as her body jolted forward. Sophie shouted at Bella, scolding her for stopping the truck as carelessly as she did. "What're you doing?"

"Did you see that?" Bella said as she opened her door. She rushed over to the guard rail, peering over to the cliffs that sank into the ocean. Sophie and Jake followed behind her, laughing when they saw what she was freaking out about.

"They're not fighting, Bella." Jacob chuckled again, motioning to the men on the rocks. From what Sophie could see, it was Sam Uley and his pack of followers. "They're cliff jumping. Scary as hell but a total adrenaline rush."

"Most of us jump from lower down." Sophie continued. "But they're show-offs."

"Do you have some kind of beef with them?" Bella looked back to the two.

Jacob made a face. "Not really. They just think they run this place. Embry used to call them 'hall monitors on steroids.' Now look at him."

Sophie stared at the boy sadly, remembering how he had called her a few days ago to tell her Embry had changed. She liked Embry and Quil - another of Jake's friends - and was sad to see that Embry had become one of Sam's followers. 

"What happened to him?" Bella asked, her eyes still trained on the group.

"He missed some school." Jake started. "And suddenly, he was following Sam around like a little puppy. Same thing with Paul and Jared. Sam keeps giving me this look, like he's waiting for me or something. It's kinda starting to freak me out."

"Just avoid him." Bella said simply, causing Sophie and Jake to share a look.

"I'll try."

The rest of the way to the clearing was silent, everyone too lost in their thoughts to speak out loud. Jacob unloaded the bikes when they finally arrived and motioned Bella over. She sat on the bike, and Sophie watched as Jacob explained to her what she needed to do. Sophie gasped when the bike jolted forward, slapping her hand over her chest.

"Be careful, please." She told her and Bella nodded.

"I will. I want to try again." She repositioned her hands on the brakes and did what Jacob told her to do correctly.

Sophie held her breath as she watched her sister ride the bike. At first, she seemed to be doing fine. But then Sophie realized her sister was glancing over her shoulder every few feet and she furrowed her brows in confusion. Bella looked over her shoulder again, but this time, she lost control of the bike. Jacob yelled instructions to her and, as Bella pulled the brake, she flipped over the front of the bike, crashing against a rock.

"Oh my, God." Sophie breathed, rushing over to her sister. The two ran over to her, crouching down to make sure she was okay. "Are you alright? Let me see your head."

Bella pulled away her hand from her forehead, revealing a small cut of blood. "I wanna go again."

"Hell no." Sophie shook her head. "No more bikes." 

"I agree." Jake mumbled. Sophie looked to him just as he slipped his shirt over his head. She looked at him as if he were crazy - it was freezing out and now the boy had no shirt.

"Ow." Bella winced when Jacob began to blot at the blood. "Ouch. I'm sorry."

Jacob chuckled. "You're apologizing for bleeding?"

Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at Jacob, a small smile pulling at her lips. "What're you staring at?"

"You're kind of beautiful." Bella whispered, causing Sophie to giggle into her palm. 

Jacob sat back, pulling his shirt away from her head. "How hard did you hit your head?"

Sophie's giggles stopped after a moment and she tapped Jacob on the shoulder. "Her bleeding isn't slowing down much. We should probably get those stitched up."

Jacob nodded, reaching down to scoop Bella into his arms. "Let's get your head fixed up, yeah?"


	6. 0.6

Sophie laid in her bed, staring absently at her ceiling as she worked on regaining her breath. Her chest rose and fell quickly, catching up from the exercising she had done moments ago. Her right hand was circled around her upper left arm, measuring the distance between her fingers once again. Her eyes fluttered every so often - she was tired from the activities over the past few days.

It had been two days since Bella and Jacob rode the bikes. He had been over for dinner every night, not giving Sophie any reason to not be at the dinner table. While she only ate small portions throughout the day, it was enough to make her start exercising in her room. 

She hadn't been able to much since they'd been at Jake's a lot for the past few weeks.

That night while at dinner, Bella had brought up the idea of Jacob joining her and her friends for a movie that Friday. Sophie encouraged the idea, knowing that Jacob's crush was only growing and that it'd be a good time to hang out together.

Which is why he insisted that she came as well. Sophie was ready to punch him, hoping that Bella would disagree. 

Unfortunately for Sophie, she did not.

So now, Sophie was being forced to go to the movies with the two, and some of Bella's friends from school. She knew that it would be awkward for her - Jessica Stanley wouldn't allow her to enjoy herself and Mike was a little weird in her opinion. Bella's other two friends - Eric and Angela - seemed the most decent out of the four, but Sophie would've rather not dealt with any of them.

Her phone rang on her bedside table and she reached to grab it, putting it up to her ear when she did. "Hello?"

"Sophie?" Renee's voice echoed through the phone and a smile tugged on her lips.

"Hi mom."

"How are you, Soph? I haven't heard from you in a few days." Renee was thrilled to hear from Sophie a few days after she returned from inpatient. They talked on the phone for hours that night, catching up on things that had happened over the past month.

"I'm okay." She told her. She was doing okay - the amount of food she ate wasn't bothering her too much (well, a little, but not as much as usual) and she felt like she was heading towards recovery once more, especially now that Bella was happier. "How are things in Florida."

"Fantastic as always." Sophie could almost hear the smile in her mom's voice. "You'll have to come down one day and visit, Sophie. I haven't seen you in forever."

"I know." She looked down at her blanket, pulling on a thread as she did. "I'll visit soon."

"Good!" Sophie heard a bit of commotion in the background and Renee sighed. "Phil just got home with dinner. I'll call you later, okay? I love you."

"Love you, Mom." Sophie told her. "Enjoy dinner."

The two finished their goodbyes and Sophie placed her phone back on the table as she crawled under the sheets and closed her eyes.

*

Every one of Bella's friends except for Mike and Jacob cancelled on Bella the night of the movie. So, unfortunately for Sophie, she was standing in between the two boys, feeling very out of place.

"Are you even old enough to see this movie?" Mike asked Jacob, who narrowed his eyes at the older boy. "Without adult supervision?"

"She's buying my ticket." Jacob answered.

"Oh right, yeah. Buying your ticket."

Sophie rolled her eyes at the two boys, turning to Jacob as she did. She was huddled into his side, the cool February air making her shiver more than usual. Jacob was always so warm, and Sophie felt much better next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, allowing his warmth to wash over her.

The movie was insanely boring. Sophie felt herself dozing off countless times, her head leaning onto Jacob's shoulder. He sighed heavily, just as bored of the movie as everyone else was. Sophie opened her eyes when she heard Mike leave, sharing a look with Jacob as they followed him out.

"What a marshmallow." Sophie laughed with Jacob as the three walked out.

"No joke." He chuckled, nudging Bella. "You know, you should really hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit."

Sophie could tell exactly what Jake was doing and slowed her pace so him and Bella could walk together. She leaned against the wall away from them, giving them their own space. She saw Jacob reach for Bella's hand and sighed when she pulled it away.

She should've warned Jacob - Bella wasn't ready for another relationship.

Mike came out of the bathroom soon enough, leaning against the same wall as Sophie as he looked at the three of them. "I think I'm going to head home. I'm... I was feeling sick before the movie, and now-"

Jacob was glaring at him harshly, causing Mike to hold his hands up. "What is your problem, man?"

"Right now?" Jake questioned. "You're my problem. Feeling sick? Maybe you should go to the hospital."

Sophie's eyes widened at Jake's tone. It was silent for a moment, the air tense at the two stared at each other. Jacob pushed himself off the stairs, getting close to Mike. "Want me to put you in the hospital?"

"Jacob!" Sophie grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back to no avail. "Calm down, Jake."

"The movies over. What're you doing?" Bella added, looking at him with concern. Her eyes travelled to his arm and Bella sighed. "You're really hot, Jake. Are you okay?"

He was hotter than normal, and Sophie could see that his breathing was increasing. "I don't know what's happening. I need to go home."

Sophie followed him out to his car, making sure he was okay to drive. "Call me when you get home, okay?"

He didn't.

Jacob didn't call her that night, or the day after. Usually, the two made a point to contact each other once a day and Sophie was beginning to grow worried. Billy had told Bella and her that Jacob was sick with mono.

It didn't feel right. Jacob had been sick before and Sophie had been with him to help take care of him. He didn't ignore her when he was sick, ever.

Bella's nightmares were getting bad again. She called Jake at least once a day, trying to get ahold of him. It seemed like he was ignoring both of the Swan sisters.

Sophie sat on the couch a few days later, eating a bowl of popcorn as she watched her father and his friend, Harry Clearwater. There had been rumors of bears attacking hikers, so the two would be going out to investigate.

"We should be back around three." Charlie told her and Bella, who was sitting next to her.

"Be careful, Dad." Sophie warned him, eyeing the gun that was on his shoulder.

He nodded, glancing at the bowl that sat in her lap. "Always am."

"Those bears won't get the drop on me." Harry stuck his hands out in front of him. "My kung fu is strong."

The sisters laughed at him. Harry had been around for as long as Sophie could remember. She didn't see him often, but she loved the man deeply.

After the two left, Bella leaned into Sophie. "I'm going to see Jacob today."

"He talked to you?" Sophie questioned, her brows furrowing as she did. He hadn't talked to her.

"No." Bella looked down. "But I don't believe he's sick. I want to see him."

"Bella." Sophie began to shake her head. "Maybe that's not the best idea."

"You want to, too. Just come with me."

Sophie stared into her sister's pleading eyes for a moment before rolling her own. "Fine. Let's go."

Bella drove to La Push, both of the silent for the car ride. Sophie wasn't sure what Bella was hoping to accomplish with this, but she hoped that Jacob was better.

Her hopes flew out the window when they pulled up to his house.

The rain made it hard to see him through the window, but Sophie knew it was her friend. His once long hair was chopped to his ears now. He was shirtless, headed to the forest when they pulled up.

The two were out of the car quickly.

"Jacob!" Bella yelled. "Jake!"

Sophie nearly gasped when he turned. He looked so... different. It was clear he wasn't sick - he looked almost better than he had a few days ago. Sophie noticed a very familiar tattoo on his arm   
and her heart dropped. "Jacob."

"You cut your hair!" Bella yelled at him. "And got a tattoo? I thought you were too sick to come outside, or even answer the phone."

"Go away." His voice was quiet as he spoke.

"What?"

"Go away." His voice was harder. "I don't want either of you here."

"What happened? What's wrong - Hey!" Bella grabbed his arm. "Answer me!"

"It's all Sam's fault." Sophie's voice cracked when she spoke, feeling betrayed by her best friend.

"Sam's trying to help me." Jacob told her, his warm eyes now cold. "Don't blame him. If you want someone to blame, blame those filthy bloodsuckers she loves so much."

"Blood-" Sophie frowned for a moment, knowing Jacob was referring to the Cullen family now. What did they have to do with anything?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bella shook her head.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been lying to everyone... but you can't lie to me." He scoffed. "We can't be friends anymore."

Sophie held her breath, selfishly hoping he only meant Bella. But he looked between the both of them as he spoke, and her heart broke again.

"Jake, I know I've been... hurting you." Bella began to say. "It kills me. If you, I don't know, give me time?"

Sophie hated that she was doing this to Jacob. Bella would never feel the same way for him. Jacob shook his head again. "It's not you."

"Really?" Bella exclaimed.

"It is me." Jacob nodded. "I'm not good. I used to be, but not anymore. Look it doesn't even matter anymore."

Bella shook her head. "You can't break up with me. I mean, you're my best friend. You promised."

"I promised I wouldn't hurt you." Jacob told her. "This is me keeping my promise. Go home, and don't come back. Or you're going to get hurt."

Bella stared at him for one more moment before turning back to the truck. Sophie didn't follow her - she stayed in the rain, staring at her best friend with wet eyes.

"How could you?" She asked, her voice quiet. "You promised you would stay away from him."

"Sophie." Jacob shook his head. "You don't understand."

"Then help me to! You're my best friend, Jake." She meant it, too. He was her best friend. They had done everything together since they were children and now, he was pushing her away. She leaned on him during her hardest moments, so why wasn't he doing the same.

Tears streamed down her cheeks now, hot on her skin compared to the icy rain. "I need you. You need me and I can help you through this, just like you helped me. You're still helping me, and God knows I need all the help I can get. Please Jacob."

Jacob stared at her, glancing at the wet clothes that now hugged her bony body. She was gaining weight again and he knew how hard that was on her. He knew she needed more help now than ever, but he knew he couldn't be the one to give it to her.

"Go home, Sophie."

With that, he turned, jogging off into the forest as he did. Sophie's heart cracked completely, and she nearly collapsed. Bella was out of the car in a second, catching Sophie into her arms and holding her closely as she cried.


	7. 0.7

A few days after visiting Jacob, Sophie sat across from her friend Eli at the diner in town. Her friend had been released from her inpatient stay and reached out to Sophie immediately. The two had both ordered meals, though Eli was eating more than Sophie did.

"You look good." Sophie told her, smiling before she took a bite of her chicken.

Eli flashed a tight smile. "I'm going to really try this time. I want to live an exciting life and I'm tired of staring at hospital walls. I want to see the world."

"I'm proud of you." Sophie told her. She wished it was as easy as Eli made it sound. Sophie had been in recovery twice before. The first time lasted longer than the second, but Sophie always went into a downward spiral after a few months.

"You look better, too." Eli grinned. Sophie tried not to wince, but she couldn't help putting her fork down for a moment. She had gained almost five pounds since the start of January, when Bella began to see Jacob. Sophie tried her hardest to keep away from the scale, knowing that it never brought anything good.

The last time she weighed herself was three days prior. She was making an effort - usually it was every morning.

"I hate seeing what this does to my family." She said quietly, pushing around a piece of her food with her fork. She swallowed, pushing away thoughts of calories. "I want to be better for them. And I'm doing okay."

Eli smiled again, genuinely happy for the girl in front of her. Though, she could tell something was bothering her friend. Eli couldn't decide if she wanted to ask or not - Sophie sometimes disappeared into herself whenever she didn't want to answer a question or do something she was asked to do.

Eli decided to leave her alone.

The encounter with Jacob still tore at Sophie. She didn't understand what Sam Uley had done to her friend to cause him to push her away. Bella hadn't spoken to Sophie much since that day either, only passing a few words to her every now and then.

Sophie desperately wanted to get through to Jacob, but she wasn't sure how to do it. She had practically begged him not to hurt her, not to leave her, and he had done it anyway.   
Eli and Sophie shared their goodbyes, promising to meet up with each other again soon. Sophie watched her go, feeling her heart ache for a different reason. Eli seemed to be doing genuinely okay. 

Sophie wanted to be genuinely okay.

When she got home, she immediately went to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. It was silent for a few moments before her door slowly creaked open. Sophie looked over to Bella, who smiled softly at her sister. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Sophie pushed herself up, watching as Bella walked to her desk.

Her sister opened one of her sketchbooks, eyeing each of the drawings closely. Sophie pursed her lips, wondering what her sister was thinking. Bella paused on one of them, frowning for a second before she held it up. 

"Do you remember how to get to this meadow?"

Sophie raised a brow, studying the unfinished drawing before looking back at Bella. "You've been there?"

"Yeah." She mumbled, not saying anything else. "Do you remember?"

Sophie shrugged. "Not really."

"Will you help me find it?" Bella's question was urgent, and Sophie got the feeling the meadow was a special place for her. 

"Sure." It would keep her mind off of the whole Jacob situation and she could use a little fresh air. 

Bella and Sophie remembered that the meadow was close to Forks High School. The general direction was familiar, though the trees in the forest made it difficult to remember exactly which way   
to take. 

Sophie nearly felt sick by the time they finally broke through the trees. She sighed in relief, leaning against a nearby tree as she took it all in. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. Few trees popped up in the meadow, leaving it open and bright as the rare sunlight shone down.

Purple and yellow plants spotted the grass, brushing against a pile of rocks in the distance. Sophie reached into her bag and grabbed her sketchbook, taking a mental picture as she began to sketch again.

Her aqua eyes studied the scenery, flickering between the plants and the paper. Her wrist glided along the sheet, effortlessly drawing lines and shading the shadows.   
Bella had disappeared from her side, though when she looked up, she could see her kneeling beside a patch of grass. Sophie looked down again, drawing another detail when she heard Bella speak.

Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw the man next to her sister. He was dark, studying the girl with bloodthirsty red eyes. His eyes darted past Bella towards Sophie and a smile tugged across his lips. 

"I didn't expect to find you here." His voice was deep as he addressed Bella, though there was a hint of amusement shining through. His hands were pressed together in front of him as he walked, mimicking a predator surrounding prey. Her mind flashed back to the night of Bella's party and Sophie shivered. "I went to visit the Cullens, but... the house is empty."

Sophie stood slowly, trying the ignore the man as his eyes jumped to her. She straightened her back, trying to appear as brave as she approached the two. He continued. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Aren't you a sort of pet of theirs?"

Sophie didn't like how he spoke down to her sister. But Bella stood her ground. "You could say that."

"Do they visit often?" His tone made it obvious that he knew the answer, but he looked at Bella expectantly.

"Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, all the time." Bella stammered and Sophie narrowed her eyes at her. "I'll tell them that you stopped by. Though, I probably shouldn't tell Edward. He's pretty protective."

Her voice faltered when she spoke of him and the vampire flashed a knowing grin. "But he's far away, isn't he?"

"Why are you here?" Bella ignored him.

The man sighed now. "I'm here as a favor for Victoria."

Victoria? Who was Victoria? How did Bella know these people? Sophie's anger grew again as she wondered about what Edward had dragged her sister into. 

"She wanted me to see if you were still under the protection of the Cullens." He said casually. "She believes it is only fair to kill Edward's mate given he killed hers. An eye for an eye."

Sophie's breathing stopped. Did this man say that Bella was Edward's mate? As in soulmate? And if that was true, Edward had killed Victoria's soulmate. Of course, she would want revenge, and Sophie was beginning to see what that meant for Bella. 

"Edward would know who did it!" Bella was panicking and Sophie knew it. "He would come after you!"

The man clicked his tongue. "I don't think he would. After all, how much could you mean to him given he left you here unprotected?"

Sophie glanced at Bella, noticing that she looked positively frightened. Sophie was too - her heart was beating out of her chest. This vampire was going to kill her sister and probably her as well. What was she supposed to do? She was skin and bones, and there was no way in hell she could outrun this man. 

Not that she would leave her sister behind anyway. No - they would go out together.

Sophie reached for Bella's hand and gripped it tightly. She tugged Bella behind her. "She hasn't done a thing to that woman. She can't help the fact that she's Edward's mate." The words felt strange on her tongue. "Keep her out of this."

"I didn't know the Cullens had another human under their watch." The man said, shaking his head. "A peculiar coven they are."

"I'm not under their watch." Sophie spat out. Her anger at the family was showing and she wasn't going to rein it in. "Keep my sister out of their shit. Make them deal with Edward's consequences."

"This is their consequence." He answered her. "Let her go and you will stay unharmed."

"Over my dead body." Sophie snarled and Bella dug her nails into Sophie's hand.

"That can be arranged." He stalked toward her, baring his teeth. Sophie stood straight, accepting that this was the end. Her eating disorder would not be the thing to kill her after all.

The man stopped only inches from her face, his red eyes flickering behind her in disbelief. He stepped back, eyes wide. "I don't believe it."

The girls turned and a gasp left Sophie's lips as she watched a pack of wolves travel into the meadow. A black wolf, taller than any man she'd ever seen, lead the way, snarling at the vampire in front of her. 

Several more wolves followed behind him, eyes trained on the man. She watched them with wide eyes, nearly falling over when one - a large, russet colored one - stopped beside her and Bella. It stared at them for a moment before moving on. 

The vampire began to run, causing the black wolf to pounce. He was pushed back by the man before he caught him but shook himself off and began to follow after his pack again. 

Sophie acted quickly, shoving her sketchbook and pencils into her backpack before grabbing Bella and pushing her back to the trees. "Get the hell out of here! Now!"

*

The two girls slammed the door shut behind them when they got to the house. Charlie and Harry were sat at the table, talking over a cup of coffee when they came in. Bella gasped. "Dad, I saw them! They are not bears!"

"What?" Charlie frowned. 

"Wolves." Sophie breathed out as she fell into a chair. "They're massive wolves!"

"Wolves?" Charlie was still confused as he looked at his daughters. "What are you talking about?"

"In the woods! They're not bears!"

"What the hell..." Charlie rubbed a hand over his face, looking to Harry after. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." The two nodded their heads, still looking shaken about the incident. 

"Well, Harry. Feel like going hunting?"

The two men were off within minutes, leaving the two girls alone. Sophie glared at her sister. "What just happened? Who was that and who is Victoria?"

Bella sighed. "Laurent. Do you remember the day I went to play baseball with Edward?"

Sophie nodded, not entirely sure where Bella was heading with this. "There were three vampires who interrupted. Laurent, Victoria and Victoria's mate, James."

She continued to tell the story about how James was tracking her, which was the entire reason she left Forks. Sophie clenched her jaw, annoyed that Edward had been the one to do this to her sister. He exposed her to the tracker and nearly killed her afterwards.

Edward killed James and Victoria wanted revenge.

"So you're actually Edward's soulmate?" Sophie shook her head. "And he just left you here?"

Bella winced. "I guess."

Sophie's thoughts wandered to the rest of the family. Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, Esme and Carlisle. "Do all vampires have mates?"

"I think so." Bella said. "Edward never really explained it too much."

Sophie rolled her eyes. She had no idea what Bella saw in him. Bella sat up straight, her brows furrowed, appearing to be deep in thought. Sophie waited for what she was about to say as Bella looked at her. "I have to go to Jacob's."

"What?" She exclaimed, following her sister as she headed out the door. "Why?"

"I-" Bella shook her head. "I remembered something he told me once. Did he ever tell you about the Quileute legends?"

Sophie stopped in her tracks. Jacob didn't talk about the legends around her much. She wasn't a part of the tribe and told Jacob that she had no business learning about their legends. He told her a few things anyway, appreciating that she respected their stories. 

But one story always stood out to her. According to Jacob, the Quileute's were descended from shifters that could turn into wolves. Her and Jake laughed about it a lot when they were younger.

"He mentioned them a few times." Sophie said as she closed the door. Bella pulled out of the driveway, speeding down the road to La Push. "What does that have to do with what just happened?"

"I'm not sure." Her sister muttered. "But I think I have an idea."

Billy answered the door when they arrived. His lips were drawn in a tight line and he shook his head. "He's not in."

Sophie always knew when Billy was lying. She had known him since she was a child, after all. Bella shoved past him, but Sophie stayed by the door, not wanting to intrude on their property more than they already were.

Bella stormed out a moment later, heading straight for the forest. Sophie rushed after her, her confusion melting into anger when she saw Sam Uley. Any appreciation she had for him from finding Bella was gone. He turned her best friend against her.

"What did you do to him?" Bella was yelling, just as furious as Sophie.

A man behind Sam, Paul Lahote as Sophie recalled, snarled at Bella and Sam shot him a glare. Embry was there too, looking almost apologetic as he looked at the sisters. "He didn't want any of this!"

"What'd he tell you?" Paul asked, his voice low.

"Nothing!" Bella shouted. "He tells me nothing because he's scared of you!"

Paul laughed, and Sophie nearly lunged forward when Bella beat her to it. Her fist slammed against Paul's face and Sophie smirked, happy to see the smug grin leave his face.

Her smirk was gone in a matter of seconds, when Paul began to growl. His body hunched, dark eyes on Bella, dangerously, looking ready to pounce. Sam shouted at them to stay back and Sophie listened, readying herself to run.

Fur replaced Paul's tan skin and he was suddenly on all fours, taking the shape of the same wolves they had just seen in the clearing. Sophie didn't run with Bella, she stood completely still, feeling her heart beat out of her chest as she watched Paul stalk towards her.

She would've laughed at herself if she wasn't so scared. She had stood up to a vampire earlier, ready to greet death, but now she was frozen at the sight of this wolf.

She could hear Jacob yelling behind her, but his voice didn't register in her mind. Sophie didn't flinch when he landed beside now, shifting into his own wolf form - the russet wolf from the clearing.

Jacob lunged for Paul just as Sophie fell.


	8. 0.8

Sophie awoke a few hours later, lying across an unfamiliar sofa. As she sat up and looked around, she realized she had no idea where she was. Sophie tried to think back on how she could have gotten here and felt panic rise in her chest when she remembered.

Jacob was a werewolf. The Quileute legend was true.

"Sophie." Bella's voice called out to her and she looked over to the doorway where her sister stood. "How are you feeling?"

"Where are we?" She asked instead, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her head swam for a moment, her stomach churning violently as it growled. She had only eaten twice in the past two days. 

"Sam's house." Bella answered, holding a hand out to Sophie to help her stand. Sophie leaned against her sister for a moment, walking behind her as she moved to the kitchen.

All of the boys sat at the kitchen table, including Paul and Jacob. A woman Sophie had never seen before stood next to Sam. Sophie tried to not stare at her, but the long scar running down her face made it difficult.

The woman's eyes landed on Sophie and her expression turned sympathetic. She left Sam's side to grab a plate and held it in front of her. "Here, eat something. I'm Emily."

Sophie eyed the muffins on the plate, hesitantly reaching out to grab one. Emily sat the plate back down. "Are you feeling okay? You were out for a while."

"I'm fine." She mumbled, nibbling on the muffin. It was a really good muffin and Sophie had to stop herself from taking a large bite. "Just a little shocked."

"Sophie." Jacob spoke to her next. He nodded towards the door. "Walk with me."

She stood, taking another muffin with her as she went and followed Jacob out of the door. Silence stretched between them as they walked and Sophie continued to eat. 

"I'm really sorry, Soph." Jacob broke the silence. "I shouldn't have pushed you away like that."

"You shouldn't have." She agreed, still hurt that he did. "You know how much you mean to me, Jake."

"I know. I felt awful, but now you know why I couldn't tell you what was going on." He grabbed her free hand, squeezing it gently. "It wasn't my secret to tell."

She nodded, pursing her lips. "I understand. And it's okay, but if it happens again, I will literally kill you."

He wrapped her in a tight hug, and Sophie felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had her best friend back and she felt as if everything was right in the world again.

Until it wasn't.

Fate was a cruel thing. The world was a cruel place. Sophie had finally been doing okay. She was gaining weight and she was happy about it. She was eating and enjoying her artwork and her life.   
Sophie was becoming friends with the wolf pack and Emily. Emily acted like a mother to her most of the time, but Sophie really didn't mind. She enjoyed being taken care of, especially because it had been so long since she let anyone actually do it. 

Unfortunately, Victoria was still after her sister. Jacob and the pack had been on the watch for her for a few days now, always guarding the forest throughout the day. The consequences showed themselves soon enough.

Harry Clearwater died a few days later. He had a heart attack while he was in the woods, hunting the same wolves that were hunting the murderous vampire.  
Sophie was devastated. Harry was a very close family friend. Him and Charlie were hunting buddies, which meant he was over at their house a lot throughout the fall season. Fate was a cruel thing and it had cruel tricks. 

To make it worse, Bella was nowhere to be found. Jacob had gone off to look for her, leaving Sophie alone with her thoughts. She was curled up on the couch in her home, too numb to feel anything besides the tear marks on her cheeks.

Her dad was at the Clearwater house, most likely trying to figure out what to do now. Sophie's heart clenched in her chest and she let out a choked sob, as she buried her face into her blanket. She heard the front door open and sniffed quietly. She was glad someone was home now, though she wasn't sure if it was her dad or Bella. Sophie sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hands as she walked toward the door.

She frowned at the empty room, wondering where they went. Perhaps everyone was drained from the day’s events and went to bed. Sophie sighed and turned, ready to get back to the couch.  
Her heart nearly jumped out of her mouth when she saw Alice Cullen standing behind her. "Alice?"

"Sophie!" She wrapped the girl in a tight hug and Sophie frowned, wondering why she was there. "Where's Bella?"

"I don't know?" She said, giving Alice a look. "Why?"

"She - I saw..." She shook her head, stopping herself from speaking. "Have you heard from her?"

"Not since this afternoon." Sophie told her, still confused as to why Alice was there. "What'd you see?"

Alice sighed, guiding Sophie to the couch to sit down. "I have visions. It's my gift as a vampire. I saw Bella-" she looked cautiously at Sophie. "She jumped off a cliff."

"A cliff?" Sophie's mind was racing along with her heart. Harry was dead, Alice could see the future, Bella jumped off a cliff. "Where? When?"

"Earlier today, somewhere close to La Push." Alice said, squeezing Sophie's hand.

Bella wouldn't try to kill herself. She'd been happier now, or at least Sophie thought she was. No, Sophie knew her sister. She wouldn't do it to kill herself.

"She was cliff jumping." Sophie whispered. "A lot of people do it, for fun."

Alice huffed, shaking her head. "Cliff jumping? You guys can't do something normal, like shopping?"

Sophie laughed at Alice. Alice sighed again, noticing how Sophie looked healthier. She smiled to herself. The front door opened again and Bella rushed into the living room. "Alice?"

"Bella!" The two embraced tightly. "You jumped off a cliff! I have never met anymore more prone to life-threatening idiocy!"

Sophie snorted at that. Bella stared at Alice with wide eyes. "Did you... did you tell him?"

"No." Alice's expression turned soft. "He only calls every few months. He said he wants to be alone."

Sophie watched as Bella deflated once more. Maybe she wasn't as happy as she thought. Maybe she was still broken after Edward's departure.

"What is that God-awful wet dog smell?" Alice scrunched her nose and the two sisters shared a look.

"Is Jacob here?"

"He's outside." At Alice's curious look, Sophie spoke again. "He's a werewolf."

"A werewolf? Really?" She looked absolutely disgusted. "Werewolves are not good company to keep."

As much as Sophie liked Alice, she felt herself growing annoyed. She didn't know Jacob and she had no reason to speak of her best friend like that. "He's great company to have."

"I am pretty great." She didn't even hear him come in, but now Jake was standing by the front door, arms crossed over his chest. "I wanted to make sure you two were safe."

Sophie smiled at him as Alice glared. "I'm not going to hurt them!"

"No." He scoffed. "You're just a harmless Cullen. We're talking about the other bloodsucker who tried to kill her because of you."

"Victoria?" She asked in disbelief. "She's here? I didn't see her. I can't see past you and your pack of mutts."

"Knock it off!" Sophie stepped between the two, seeing that Jacob was beginning to get angry. She shot Alice a pointed look. "Jacob hasn't done anything wrong. Leave him out of this."

She pursed her lips, studying Jacob closely before heading towards the door. "I'll give you a moment."

"You're coming back, right?" Bella stepped forward, looking worried. 

Alice nodded. "As soon as you put the dog out."

Sophie rolled her eyes as Alice left, leaving the three in silence. Jacob looked to Bella. "Is he?"

"No." She shook her head. "It's just Alice. And she can stay as long as she'd like."

"Well are they coming back?" Jacob asked, obviously worried that Edward would be here soon. Sophie felt bad for him.

"Not that I know of." She raised a brow. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"That's it."

"Well then you might as well run back to Sam." She shot at him and Sophie scoffed.

"Stop acting like a child, Bella." She crossed her arms as the phone rang. Bella rolled her eyes, allowing Jacob to pick up the phone. 

"He's not here right now." Jacob's voice was low. "He's planning a funeral."

"Who was that?" Bella asked when he hung up the phone. "Who was that, Jake?"

"Always in the way." He growled. Sophie stepped up to him, grabbing him arm to attempt to calm him. His muscles tensed under her hand, but she felt him relax the slightest.

"What?" She cried. "Why didn't you let me talk to him!"

"He didn't ask for you!"

"Bella!" Alice was back in the house, looking frightened as she grabbed her shoulders. "It's Edward! He thinks you're dead. Rosalie told him why I was here."

Sophie watched the scene unfold in front of her. Bella was gripping the table, looking as if she might break down any second. Alice took a deep breath. "He's going to the Volturi. He wants to die too."


	9. 0.9

Bella was moving around the kitchen frantically. Her fingers twisted in her hair, leaving it tangled when she moved them to rifle through the kitchen drawers. 

Sophie and Jacob stood together, both confused as to why Bella was acting like this. Sophie looked to Alice, who looked just as worried. She furrowed her brows. "Who are the Volturi?"

Alice glanced at her, her amber eyes wide with worry. "They're basically royalty of the vampire world. They oversee all of our kind, making sure that no rules are broken."

"And what happens if you break a rule?" Sophie questioned. She was quickly coming to the conclusion that the vampire world was a lot more complicated than she previously thought.

"You die." 

"So, what rule has Edward broke?" She was still unsure why the boy was going to the Volturi. 

"He hasn't. He's going to ask them to kill him."

A strangled sob broke through Bella's lips as she slammed a piece of paper and pen onto the kitchen table. Sophie leaned over to read it, nearly scoffing when she did. "You're not going to Italy, Bella!"

"Yes, I am!" She shot back. "I have to help him."

Alice and Bella were heading out the door, causing Sophie and Jacob to follow after them. Jacob lead the way. "He left you, Bella!"

"I don't care." She started to open the car door. "I'm not going to let him kill himself out of guilt."

"What about dad?" Sophie asked, nearly breathless as she stared at her sister. "You're going to worry him to death. He doesn't need any more stress!"

"I wrote a note." She said. "I'll be back soon."

"No." Sophie pushed herself in between Bella and the car. "You're not going. He left you here and you suffered through depression for months because of him! He made you miserable. How can you just go back to him!"

"He's going to kill himself!" Bella shouted, frustrated that Sophie wouldn't move. "I can't let him do that!"

"If you're going, then I am too." Sophie stood her ground, shooting her sister a fierce glare. She may have been tiny, but the look she gave Bella had her sister nodding. She was protective over her family. And if that meant she had to go to the police of the vampire world to protect her, then so be it. Alice began to protest behind them.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She stated, looking nervously at Sophie. Her vision had haunted her for the past few months, knowing that Bella's sister would one day be the queen of their world.

"Are you going to stop me?" Her voice was low, blue eyes darkening ever so slightly. "Your family is the reason you're even in this mess."

"Soph." Jacob interrupted her. "Don't go. Either of you. I - Just stay here."

Sophie looked to Bella, who was near tears now. She sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Bella was dead set on this, on saving the boy who broke her heart. Her apparent soulmate. "Please tell my dad we'll be home soon." She told her friend before turning to Alice. "I'm going, and you have absolutely no say."

She slid into the front seat, forcing Bella into the back. Alice started the car and pressed on the gas, speeding in the direction of the airport. Sophie felt sick as she stared out the window, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into. 

The three had landed in Italy only an hour ago, now speeding down the country road at an alarming rate. Sophie gripped her arm rest, afraid that Alice was going to flip the car, which she had   
stolen from the airport. 

She still couldn't believe she was in Italy. She was lucky her and Bella had passports from a previous family vacation, or else her sister would have been completely helpless to her boyfriend. 

"They refused him." Alice spoke, and Sophie looked to see that her eyebrows were scrunched. At Bella's questioning, she continued. "He's going to make a scene. Show himself to the humans."

"No!" Bella gasped, twisting her fingers in her hair again. "When?"

"He's going to wait until noon." Sophie glanced at the clock, realizing that Bella only had thirty minutes before he exposed himself. Sophie was beginning to grow nervous herself. Though she didn't like Edward, she worried for her sister's well-being if Edward did die. "When the sun's at its highest point."

"Alice, you've gotta hurry up." Bella was nearing a panic attack now, and Sophie reached to grab her sister's hand. She held it tightly, hoping that everything would turn out okay for her. 

"There's Volterra." Alice pointed the to left, and Sophie's eyes wandered towards the city. Her heart jumped in her chest, almost as if it were tugging her in that direction. She frowned, feeling it ache in her chest the closer they got.

Once they made it to the city, Alice slammed the car into a stop. Sophie braced herself for the stop, sighing as Bella jumped out of the car. "Where do I go?"

"The clock tower." Alice said, leaning over Sophie to give Bella directions. "Run!"

Bella took off, pushing her way through a crowd of people. Sophie watched as they roamed, each person clothes in red. Banners and balloons lined the cobblestone streets, and Sophie looked to   
Alice as they began to walk. "What's going on?"

"San Marco's Day festival." She said, pulling her hood over her head. "Right - my skin can't show in the sun, unless I want to show myself like my idiot brother. You'll see why if he gets to that point. Anyway, they're celebrating the expulsion of vampires from the city."

Sophie let out an incredulous laugh. "That's ironic."

"The perfect setting. The Volturi will never let Edward get far enough to show himself." Alice led the way, easily pushing through the people to get to the clock tower. She glanced at Sophie over her shoulder, who was looking around the city in wonder. "When we get inside, stay behind me. Don't talk unless someone speaks to you. And don't let Aro touch you."

Sophie narrowed her eyes, feeling a sense of danger wash over her. "What can Aro do?"

"He can see your every thought through just one touch." Alice said, glancing over Sophie's figure. "I figure you'd like to keep your thoughts private."

She smiled softly at Alice, thankful that she had mentioned it. Her leggings and sweatshirt hid her figure well, but it was still obvious that Sophie was underweight. The rest of the walk was quiet, until Alice finally pushed her way through the crowd. She led Sophie up a pair of steps and pushed her body against the heavy doors.

"Come on guys." Sophie watched as she pulled her sunglasses and hood off. "We wouldn't want to make a scene, right?"

In the building, Edward and Bella stood in each other's arms. Edward has a red cloak around his shirtless frame, hiding his chest from view. Beside the two, stood two other men. Both had unnerving red eyes, which sent shivers down Sophie's spine as she looked at them.

One was taller than the other, obviously more muscular than the shorter blonde beside him. Nonetheless, both looked like they could snap her in half. They were dressed in black cloaks and pants, a 'V' shaped crest sitting on both of their chests.

"We wouldn't." The taller man spoke, glaring daggers at Edward. "If he would just follow us, there would be no need for a scene."

"Enough!" Sophie glanced around Alice just in time to see another girl join them. She looked ten times more terrifying than the men, though she couldn't be older than fourteen. "Aro sent me to see what was taking so long."

Her tone left no room for arguing, and the group was following behind the vampires without another sound. Sophie trailed closely behind Alice, looking around the castle as she did. She almost wished she chose to study interior design instead of fashion, just because of how beautiful the building was.

They all loaded into an elevator, standing in awkward silence as it went down. They started down another hallway, darker than the one they were first in, and passed a secretary as they went. Sophie could hear Bella and Edward talking beside her and strained to listen to them.

The blonde girl and short man shared a laugh together, causing Sophie to grip Alice's arm. They came upon a set of oak doors and the tall man pressed them open, leading them all into a large room. Sophie looked around with wide eyes, appreciating the architecture and marble decor. It was a beautiful room and, as Sophie looked toward the raised dais, she noted that there were beautiful men here as well. 

On the far right sat a man, maybe in his late twenties, with chin-length platinum hair. His sharp features were pulled into a scowl, hands gripping the stone chair as he glared ahead. Next to him was a slightly older man, with shoulder-length black hair. His red eyes were full of wonder, calculating as he observed. And finally, a man with long brunette hair stared ahead, his eyes bored, lips drawn into a frown.

They were all beautiful and Sophie felt her cheeks heat.

"Aro is in the middle." Alice leaned close to Sophie. "Caius on the right, Marcus on the left. The three kings."

"Sister!" Sophie looked over to a boy around the girl's age. "Sent you out to get one and you bring back two. And a half."

She was thankful that Alice hid her so well. Sophie looked to Aro, who was beginning to descend down the dais. "What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all! Isn't that wonderful?" He reached for Edward's hand, pulling it out of Bella's grasp. "I love happy endings. They are so rare."

Sophie's eyes trailed back to the dais, nearly jumping out of her skin when she locked eyes with Marcus. Her grip tightened on Alice's arm again as he watched her, looking amazed now. "Aro."  
Aro turned, stepping away from Bella and Edward as Marcus made his way to him. He held out a hand, eyes still on Sophie as Aro read his thoughts. The man snapped his head in her direction. 

"Amazing."

"Alice." Sophie's voice was small as she spoke, feeling her heart lurch again in their direction. "What's happening?"

Aro, instead of answering her, turned to the two Cullens’ and her sister. He motioned to Sophie with his hands. “This is Bella’s sister, Sophie Swan. Am I correct?”

Behind Aro and Marcus, Caius stood and slowly began to descend from the dais to join the two kings. Sophie’s eyes flitted between the three of them before landing on Alice, who was looking at her as if her life was about to end. Alice swallowed. “This is her.”

Aro’s expression was full of wonder, Marcus’ eyes wide with hope and Caius, who looked at Sophie as if she had placed the stars. She could feel her palms getting damp, not used to having this much attention on her. 

“After all these years.” Aro breathed. “It seems our mate has finally found us.”

Holy shit. Sophie looked to Alice with wide eyes, who looked apologetic as she moved to the side, showing Sophie to the kings. She felt completely exposed now, wanting to cover herself as the kings stared at her. 

Her heart was beating fast again, tugging in her chest towards the three of them. She felt sick again, her head was swimming and her breath was getting caught in her chest. Three vampire kings were supposed to be her soulmates? What did that make her - the queen of their world? She wasn't even a vampire!

"Breathe, Soph." Bella was beside her, gripping her hand tightly. 

"There's got to be some mistake." Sophie looked to Aro, who looked concerned at her panicking state. "I'm not a vampire, how can I be your mate?"

"I'm Edward's mate, and I'm human." Bella reminded her and Sophie inhaled, sharply.

This couldn't be happening, couldn't be real. But Sophie's heart jumped towards them again, and she knew that it was. Aro took a hesitant step towards her before looking to Alice. "What have you done to her?"

She knew he was talking about her body - the same body she had wrecked and ruined since she was sixteen. Alice glanced at Sophie. "Can I show him?"

Sophie took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she shook her head. "No."

Aro looked disappointed, Marcus and Caius merely curious. Sophie huffed. If she were their mate, then they'd know about her disorder soon enough. Aro would touch her, know her entire life story soon enough. She met his eyes again. "I'm sick."

"And you haven't helped her?" Caius hissed behind Aro, his eyes jumping between Alice, Edward and Bella. "You've let her become this thin?!"

"No." Sophie winced. "I have an eating disorder. I've done it to myself."

Her eyes were locked onto the stone floor as the room fell utterly silent. Bella squeezed her hand, knowing that Sophie had a hard time admitting that she had a problem. She hated talking about her anorexia, hated confronting the pain it brought.

"She suffers from anorexia." Bella mentioned quietly.   
The kings stood silently, obviously trying to process what that meant. They had never met a human who looked as pale and thin as Sophie did. They hadn't heard of the term 'anorexia' before and didn't realize that weight that came with the word.

"What does this mean?" Sophie voiced her new thoughts, worried about her new position. The kings couldn't possibly come to Forks, Washington. It would cause high tensions with the wolf pack and, let's be honest, how was she supposed to explain their presence to her father? "How will this work?"

"You could stay with us." Marcus finally spoke, coming to stand beside Aro. His expression was full of hope. "We would take care of you."

"But-" She began to shake her head. "I can't just move to Italy. I don't have anything with me and-and my dad. I can't leave him." Sophie focused on Alice. “Did you know?”

"I did." Alice spoke quietly, nodding her head. "I saw it the first day I met you. But listen - listen - you get better. It was part of my vision when I saw you with them."

"Really?" Bella asked, a hopeful smile on her face. Her brown eyes moved to Sophie. "You means she actually recovers?"

"Yes." Alice nodded. 

Recovery was all that Bella and Charlie wanted for Sophie. Her stomach dropped at the thought - she'd been thinking that she was better lately, but the fear of not being skinny began to sneak into her head again. If she recovered, what would happen? Could she actually learn to accept how her body looked, no matter if she was skinny or healthy or big? 

She wasn't sure.

"Sophie." Bella's eyes were pleading. "You promised us last time that you'd try."

She opened her mouth to protest, to make Bella stop talking before she said too much, but she continued anyway. "And you came back the exact same way. This is how you get better. This is how you keep your promise."

Sophie hated that she was right. She hated the sinking feeling she got in her gut knowing that she was finally going to recover - Alice had seen it. Sophie looked back at Bella, biting her cheek when she saw how desperate her sister was for this.

The three kings looked at her expectantly, patiently waiting for her answer. 

Sophie raised a brow. "You guys are positive this is real? I'm really your mate?"

"You're really our mate." Aro nodded. His red eyes were soft, and Sophie let out a sigh, not believing that her life had actually come to this. 

You're so lucky I love you." She laughed breathlessly again, shaking her head at Bella. Sophie looked to the kings again. "I'll stay."


	10. 1.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has had a good Valentine's day!

"I love you." Bella squeezed Sophie tightly. "I promise I'll convince Charlie that you're okay. And keep in touch with you all the time."

Sophie laughed, blinking back the tears that were burning her eyes. "I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe I have to stay here."

"But you'll be better." Bella's eyes shone with a happiness that Sophie hadn't seen in a while and her heart clenched in her chest. "You'll be healthy, and we won't have to worry about you dropping dead on us."

She winced at that, and Bella hugged her once more. "They're your mates, as crazy and weird as it is. I hope they are good to you."

"Me too." She whispered, afraid of the choice that she had just made.

After the very interesting event in the throne room, the Cullens and Swans were escorted to a smaller room to say their goodbyes. Bella had grabbed Sophie immediately, thanking her for taking this opportunity.

Sophie watched with wet eyes as the two guards escorted her sister out of the room. She looked around at the velvet furniture and crowded bookshelves, beginning to feel overwhelmed. She crashed onto a couch, holding her head in her hands.

Her dad was going to be so confused. One of his best friends had died and his oldest daughter was mysteriously in Italy. Sophie let out a shaky breath. She couldn't do this to him, not now. 

She heard the door creak open and peered up. A man she hadn't seen before snuck into the room, offering Sophie a small grin. He was on the short side and reminded her slightly of a young Justin Bieber. "I'm Afton. It's a pleasure to meet you, regina." 

She laughed aloud at him, knowing just enough Italian to catch the word. "Don't call me that. Sophie is fine."

"Sophie." He looked as flustered as a vampire could. "The kings have arranged a room for you and asked me to bring you to them. Are you ready?"

She wasn't ready. Not for her room, or the kings, or her new life. She wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up on the couch next to her dad and watch baseball. She wanted to see Bella and Jacob and Eli. 

But she nodded, preparing herself for her mates. If she was meant to stay in this castle, she was going to make the most of it. Perhaps after she recovered, she could see her family again.

What if she never could see her family again? Anxiety shot through her like a bullet and she had to take a breath to calm herself.

The walk through the corridors was long and boring. The two didn't speak to each other, but Sophie noticed Afton studying her on a few occasions. The castle was beautiful, even through the long hallways. Everything was made from stone and small windows allowed light in from the highest points on the walls.

Unfortunately for Sophie, it was absolutely freezing. She figured vampires didn't have any need for a heating or cooling system.

She also noticed that she would be getting lost a lot in this castle. There were too many twists and turns and stairwells for her to keep up with. She was winded by the time they stopped and subtly attempted to catch her breath.

Afton motioned to a door on her right. "This is where your room is. This wing is also where the kings stay. Each of their rooms are a few doors down from yours."

Fantastic, Sophie thought, nearly rolling her eyes. She had a feeling she wouldn't get away from the three for a few days at least. Afton opened the door for her and she entered behind him. 

The room was stunning. It was easily twice the size of Sophie's bedroom in Forks and way nicer. The bed was huge compared to the twin sized one she was used to. A small sitting area was to the left of it, in front of a fireplace and - surprisingly - a television. Light spread throughout the room and onto the wooden floors through one window by the sitting area. Red curtains framed the window along with a red rug under her sofa and bed. There was hardly any other color in the room, mainly a mixtures of white and gray. 

"Will this be okay, Sophie?" Afton asked.

"Yes." She whispered, still looking around the room in awe. "Thank you, Afton."

"I'll leave you to get settled." He said, inching his way back to the door. "Someone will be up to get you for dinner soon."

"Great." She mumbled, not feeling hungry in the slightest. Sophie sat down on the sofa, running her hands over the velvet surface. The kings clearly didn't have a clue of what anorexia meant, and Sophie wasn't looking forward to telling them.

She wished she had asked Alice more questions about the kings and their history. She and Edward seemed wary of them from the way they talked, and Sophie wondered if she needed to be as well.

Sophie was alone for maybe ten minutes when she heard a knock on her door. She stood immediately, crossing her hands in front of her chest as the door opened. No one stepped in, but she could hear them moving in the hallway.

"Sophie?" Aro called. "May we come in?"

His question surprised her - Sophie thought the kings would barge in whenever they felt like with no disregard to her preferences. She began to nod before she realized they couldn’t see her. “Yeah.”

The door opened the rest of the way and Sophie watched as the three kings walked in. They hovered by the open door, clearly unsure of how Sophie would react if they came any closer. She offered them a smile, hoping to relieve the tension that had formed.

Aro returned it, clapping his hands together in front of him. “Do you like your room?”

“I do.” She answered softly. “Thank you.”

“We want you to be happy here. Whatever you need, we’ll be happy to get for you.” He told her, speaking quietly and carefully. “I understand the circumstance is not ideal, but we’re glad that you stayed.”

“Yeah, well.” Sophie breathed, shrugging her shoulders. “I promised Bella.”

The three men shared brief glances at the mention of Bella and Aro took a step closer to Sophie. She narrowed her eyes at him but stood her ground. He rubbed his hands together once more. “Can you tell us about your promise to her?”

Sophie’s eyes wandered to his hands. It would be so much easier if she just let him touch her, just so everything would be out in the open. But she couldn’t - she hated the pitied looks she always got when someone found out about her struggles. The last thing she wanted was for her mates to look at her in that exact same way.

She sighed heavily. They would know eventually, especially once their relationship progressed. She worried how they would react, though. Caius was angry at her sister and the Cullen’s in the throne room and he didn’t even know the full story. Would he be angry at her when he knew how much she harmed herself?

“I don’t know.” Her voice was small and she moved her eyes to the floor, avoiding eye contact with each of them. “It’s a lot to explain and-”

Aro held his hand out in front of him and she stopped short once again. She chewed on her bottom lip, looking between Aro, Marcus and Caius before sighing once more. 

“Come sit.” She told them and made her way to the small sitting area. They followed behind her a slight distance away, not wanting to overwhelm the girl. She sat on a chair across from the sofa and folded her hands in her lap as the kings sat.

“I’m just going to explain what it is and that’s all you need to know for now. I’m not ready to talk about it fully.” She warned them. Even talking about anorexia had her feeling as if she was going to breakdown. “Bella told you I suffer with anorexia, which is true.” She looked down to her shaking hands, trying her best to ignore the growing anxiety and lump in her throat. “It’s an eating disorder.”

She didn’t have to look at them to know they were still confused. “I’ve been suffering with my weight and body image since I was sixteen. I’ve been hospitalized a few times because my weight has dropped so low.”

“So, I suffer with anorexia. I have a bad relationship with food and my family is worried about me.” She took a deep breath, squeezing her hands tightly to try and distract herself as she looked back to Aro. She felt her heart clench in her chest when she saw how he was looking at her. “I promised her I’d try to get better the last time I was admitted. I broke her promise.”

“And this is how you keep it.” Aro nodded, finally understanding what Bella had meant.

“Yeah.” Sophie huffed. Her breathing was still as shaky as her hands and she inhaled deeply to try and steady herself. She wished she had a cigarette in that moment.

Marcus and Caius remained silent but understanding filled their features as well. The same look of pity was on each of their faces and Sophie desperately wanted to snap at them. 

“I understand that it’d be easier if I just showed you.” She told Aro, before looking to all three. “I wish all of you could see it when I was ready so that I don’t have to explain the whole thing. It’s a long story and it’s not one I wish to tell.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” Marcus assured her with a nod of his head. “We won’t push you into anything.”

She smiled thankfully. “So, what am I supposed to do around here?”

Caius finally spoke. “Anything you’d like. We can show you around tomorrow, once you settle in a little more.”

She nodded in agreement, feeling herself relax again since they had moved to a different subject. Sophie didn’t mind sitting with them, which was a surprise to her. She expected to feel uncomfortable in their presence but she almost felt calm and peaceful with them. 

She wondered if that’s how Bella felt with Edward.

"Do you want to attempt dinner?" Caius continued. "We understand what you told us, but perhaps it'd be a good idea to eat something."

Sophie hummed, refraining from circling her fingers around her arm. They had gotten further away from each other in the last few months and the thought made her swallow thickly. "I'm not hungry."

Before they could argue with her, Sophie continued. "I'd like to go to bed actually. It's be a long day and I'd like to process this a little more."

The kings looked like they wanted to push the subject more, but eventually their shoulders fell and Aro nodded. "If you wish. Tomorrow, we will show you around. Good evening, mia cara."

The minute the three exited her room, Sophie felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness embrace her. She let out a harsh sigh as tears began to cloud her vision and wiped at her eyes, viciously. As her thoughts began to crash over her, she pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed.


	11. 1.1

The next morning, Sophie was led down to the kitchens for breakfast. Her day had started off rough already - Afton had woken her up, leaving her to stare at him with red, blotchy skin and bloodshot eyes. 

She never was good at first impressions.

As she sat in the kitchen, she pushed around the food that had been placed in front of her. The french toast looked appetizing and had her mouthwatering. She couldn't remember the last time she ate french toast, since usually she stuck with a bowl of cereal or granola bars for breakfast.

The few bites she managed to take had her feeling sick and she cursed herself. Alice's vision had to be wrong - before she came to Italy, she was starting to recover again. She felt as if her progress was going down the drain as she stared at her plate. 

Afton sat across from her, a worried expression creasing his brow. Sophie tried her best to ignore him, but it was hard. This was why she hated eating in front of people who didn’t know her. He cleared his throat, folding his hands in front of him. “The kings have plans to show you around today. It’s a large castle - perhaps it’d be wise to eat a little more.”

“I’ll manage fine.” She told him, though she placed another small piece of the syrupy bread into her mouth. 

He looked like he wanted to push her further, but the kings walked into the kitchen before Afton could speak a word. Sophie was grateful for their presence and she pushed the plate away from her as she stood. 

Marcus looked down at her half-eaten breakfast before looking back to her. She only plastered a smile on her lips and tugged her sleeves over her hands. She was still in the same clothes from the day before and she hoped that she’d be able to get new ones soon.

Aro smiled at her, nodding at Afton as he did. “Thank you, Afton. We’ll take it from here.”

Afton bowed his head and shot Sophie a quick smile before he disappeared from the kitchen. Sophie felt herself relax once he was gone - Afton seemed nice enough, but she didn’t like being around new people that much. Strangely enough, she didn’t mind being around the kings.

“Are you done eating?” Caius motioned to the plate, his brows creased slightly.

Sophie nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He still looked worried but he let the topic drop. The angry look in his eyes from the day before was gone, but Sophie could see he kept himself guarded most of the time. She fumbled with her fingers, waiting for one of them to do anything besides stare at her.

Marcus must have noted how uncomfortable she felt because he stepped forward with a hand in front of him and an easy smile. Sophie narrowed her eyes at him - Alice hadn’t said if Marcus or Caius could read minds like Aro and Edward and she was worried he’d see something she didn’t want him to.

The thought that Edward had seen into her mind was enough to make her want to curl into a ball and cry and she didn’t even like the boy. If Aro looked into her mind and began to hate her body as much as she did, she didn’t know what she’d do. 

“I’m the only one who can see your thoughts.” Aro spoke, a pained expression on his face. “Marcus and Caius are completely blind to your mind.”

Sophie nodded, slowly reaching out to take Marcus’s hand. Goosebumps formed on her arms under her sweater and she shivered from the coolness of his skin. “You’re cold.”

He began to let go of her hand. “I’m sorry-.”

Sophie grasped it tightly, not wanting to lose contact with him, shocking the kings and herself - she normally hated other people touching her, but it felt natural with Marcus. “It’s okay.”

He smiled at her again and she averted her eyes away. She felt her cheeks heat up but ignored it as she looked to her other two mates. “What do you have planned for the day?”

“We want to show you around.” Aro’s eyes flicked between their entwined hands and Sophie’s eyes. She didn’t miss the pain reflected in them and felt her heart drop. “That way you’re familiar with the castle in case one of us isn’t around. You’ll always have a guard, of course, but just in case.”

She nodded, not overly thrilled with the idea of having a vampire follow her around all the time, but she didn’t say anything. “Sounds good.”

Aro turned, leading the way out of the kitchens and into the corridor. With her free hand, Sophie attempted to pull her sweatshirt tighter around her. She feared that she would never feel warm in this castle. 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a large cloak settled on her shoulders. The four of them stopped walking as Caius stepped in front of her, clasping the buttons of his cloak closed so it wouldn’t fall off of her small frame. Sophie mumbled a ‘thank you’ and Caius grinned softly at her. 

She felt her heart stop again at his smile.

“We’ll have to find ways to heat the castle up for you, my love.” Caius spoke. “We’ve never had to worry about heating or cooling before.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about the cooling part.” She told him. She knew part of the reason she was freezing was because of her low body weight, which allowed cold to seep into her bones much easier. “So, why do you have kitchens if you don’t have any other humans here?”

“The human staff use them often.” Aro told her and she suddenly remembered the human secretary they passed on their way to the throne room. “Their quarters are heated, but it’s only that part of the castle.”

Sophie hummed in response.

The castle was massive. She tried her best to keep up with which way they’d turned or which room was what, but they were going a mile a minute and she couldn’t keep up.

She was growing more and more tired by the time they finally reached the library, but she tried her best to keep a straight face and even breathing. The library was the most beautiful thing in the castle so far. While she liked to paint more than read, she did appreciate a good book every now and then.

Marcus, who still had a hold of her hand, led her to a group of chairs and she sank into one, letting her relief shine on her face. The three kings sat in the chairs around her, each sitting in silence as they allowed Sophie to rest. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in.” Aro told her, sitting forward with his elbows against his knees. “But the longer you’re here, the more used to it you’ll be.”

“Right.” She mumbled, casting her eyes to the maroon rug sat under the chairs. She kept forgetting that she was meant to stay in the castle for a long time. Her mind wandered through the many things she had seen. Most of them seemed too normal for the Volturi kings - a gym, a pool, a movie theater. 

She did find it quite amusing to picture the three of her mates swimming around the Olympic-sized pool or kicked back to enjoy a movie. 

“So you guys have always lived here?” Sophie asked, motioning around the room. “Don’t you get bored? How old are you anyway?”

The three shared looks between each other and Sophie raised a brow, pushing herself forward to rest her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. She stared at the three of them with curious blue eyes. “Well?”

“We’re nearly three thousand years old.” Aro told her, his eyes flitting around her face for any sign that she’d freak out.

Which she did.

“Three thousand years?” She breathed, looking at the three with wide eyes now. It didn’t seem possible - these men had been alive for ages and she, a twenty year old girl, was mated to them. She couldn’t decipher between her emotions. On one hand, she felt horrified that fate had paired her with ancient creatures but on the other hand, she felt terrible that they had been lonely for so many years.

They didn’t seem close to their ages at all either. Though they were slightly older when they turned, they were still beautiful and looked youthful with their pale, blemish free skin and bright eyes.

“Jesus.” She whispered, shaking her head as she did. 

“It is a shock.” Caius told her. “Especially for someone so young and new to our world.”

She laughed, incredulously. “I must seem like a child to you.”

“Not at all.” Marcus assured her quickly. “Yes, you are much younger, but we do not see you as a child.”

She seemed to settle slightly at his words and she nodded again before another thought occurred to her. “Haven’t you been so lonely? I mean three thousand years without a mate… that’s a long time.”

More secretive looks were shared between them and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at them. “Just say what you want to say.”

“We weren’t exactly alone the entire time.” Caius spoke gently, as if not to hurt her. “We took wives, many years ago.”

Before her breathing completely stopped, Aro stepped in. “And we sent them away years ago. It wasn’t right and it didn’t feel right to keep them here if we didn’t feel any affection to them.”

The fact shouldn’t have hurt her as much as it did, but her heart felt like it was cracking in her chest. As she looked to the three of them, she noticed the look of heartbreak written on Marcus’s face and knew instantly that the story with his wife had been different. 

“What happened to her?” Despite the feeling of utter betrayal, her voice was strong as she spoke to Marcus. 

“She died.” He told her, his voice a low whisper. “Rogue vampire attack and she wasn’t guarded properly.”

“You loved her.” It wasn’t a question - the pain in his voice and the look in his eyes were enough to confirm her suspicions. How was she supposed to compare to Marcus’s past love? She was nothing special, no one that people stopped to stare at. She didn’t light up a room when she entered and she didn’t leave people heartbroken or starstruck. She was an ordinary looking human girl and Marcus had truly been in love with someone else.

“I’m sorry.” She told him, eyes shining with remorse for the new information and the passing of Marcus’s past lover. 

“Don’t be, mia cara.” Marcus raised the sides of his lips. “While I loved her, she was not my mate.”

His words didn’t do much to reassure her, but Sophie smiled back at him anyway. She wished there was some way she could comfort him, but she kept her hands to her sides. She leaned back in   
her chair, curling her fingers around Caius’s cloak. “Have you always ruled the vampire world?”

“No.” Caius shook his head, leaning back himself. “The Romanian coven ruled for a century before we came to power.”

Sophie hummed. She had a feeling they did not simply rise to power but did not question them further about their positions. They fell into a comfortable silence. Sophie could feel their eyes on her as she stared around the room and tried to keep from fidgeting with any of her clothes. 

“What do you like to do?” Marcus’s voice cut through the silence and Sophie’s blue eyes snapped up to his. 

“Oh, um.” She felt as awkward as her sister was in this moment and she fiddled with her fingers. “I don’t know. I like to draw.”

“Really?” Caius’s eyes lit up at the mention of drawing. “I’ll have to show you our art gallery soon. What do you like to draw?”

She felt slight excitement bubbling in her chest at the mention of an art gallery in the castle. “I like landscapes and fashion the most, so I was going to college for fashion designing.”

“Was?” Aro raised a brow. “Did you finish?”

“No.” She sighed, looking to his hands once again. “I dropped out halfway through freshman year.”

It fell silent between them once more and Sophie knew they wanted to ask more. She sighed again. “I thought I could do it, but it was too hard balancing school and… everything else, I guess. I’d like to finish eventually, but I haven’t made any progress with myself, so I know the same thing would happen.”

“Whenever you want to go back, we can help you.” Marcus said. “Italy is a great place to learn about fashion.”

She nodded, knowing he was right. Italy was a beautiful place for fashion designing and she could draw a lot of inspiration from the people around the city. “Thank you. And I’d love to see that gallery.”

“Anytime you wish, my love.” Caius said, looking pleased that she was interested in art as much as he was.

“Can I ask you something?” She asked, sitting up and looking between the three. 

“Of course.” 

“How do mates work? How did you just know that I was your mate?” The question had been mulling around in her head since the previous afternoon. 

“It’s a near instant connection for us.” Marcus said after a moment of silent thinking. “As soon as I saw you, I could see our bond light up.”

“Bond?” She questioned, raising a brow at him. “You can see it?”

“That’s my gift.” He nodded. “Like Aro can see your thoughts, I can see every bond you share with anyone, whether it’s family, friends, or acquaintances. I can see how strong or weak it is just by slipping into a bond sight.”

“But does everyone have that? Can everyone just slip into a bond sight and tell if someone is their mate?”

“No.” Caius shook his head. “Like Marcus said, it was a near instant connection. We feel a tugging toward you. We felt as if our whole world was shifted around you the moment, we saw you. You just know.”

“I felt a tugging in my chest when we landed in Italy.” She said, mainly to herself, as she brought a hand to her chest. She rubbed it absentmindedly, almost as if remembering the sensation.

“You felt it?” Aro looked puzzled. “I didn’t realize mortals could feel a mating bond.”

“Perhaps because there is three of us?” Marcus looked just as confused as his brothers. “Maybe it makes it stronger for her to feel.”

“It’s not normal?” She asked.

“Not heard of, usually.” Aro nodded. “It’s interesting.”

“So, does every vampire get a mate?”

“No. Mates are… a rarity in our world.” Aro spoke his words carefully. “Which is why they are very important to each vampire who has one.”

Sophie frowned at this information. Mates didn’t seem like a rarity in their world - each of the Cullens had found their mates. “But the Cullens each have their mates?”

“No.” Caius scoffed, rolling his eyes as a sneer crossed his face. “The Cullens do not have their mates. Alice and Jasper, Esme and Carlisle are the only true mates of the coven.”

“But, Bella and Edward-,” She stammered, growing more confused by the second. “And Rosalie and Emmett. Bella said she was Edward’s mate.”

“Because that’s what Edward told her.” Aro said. “But Bella is Edward’s bloodsinger, much like Emmett is Rosalie’s.”

She stared at them, waiting for Aro to continue. “For a vampire, a bloodsinger is someone who’s blood attracts them much more than the normal human. Most bloodsingers are killed as soon as they’re found but, in rare circumstances, they treat them as their mates. 

“So… Does Bella know? Does Edward know?” She couldn’t believe Edward was risking Bella’s life knowing she wasn’t his mate. She found new reasons the hate the boy every day. 

“Edward knows.” Aro nodded. “He had a hard time staying away from her, but his views wouldn’t let him kill her. But he cares for her, in a very odd way and treats her as his mate. It’s more common than you’d think.”

The information would kill Bella if she knew that she wasn’t really Edward’s mate. The only reason he was with her was because her blood ‘sang’ to him, making it hard to keep away. The only reason Bella wasn’t dead was because of Carlisle’s teachings.

“I know it’s a lot to take in.” Marcus told her and she nodded as she kept her eyes to the floor. “Over time, you’ll learn everything you need to know. There’s no rush to learn it all today.”

“Okay.” She mumbled, her mind still reeling over the information. 

The four sat in the library for hours. Sophie sat back and let her mates talk as much as they wanted, and they told her as much as she wanted to know about themselves and the Volturi. She dropped a few bits of information, like about her best friends or her favorite hobbies, but didn’t say anything too personal.

She found that she very much enjoyed their company. The kings of the vampire world weren’t nearly as bad or terrifying as Edward and Alice had made them sound. They were just doing their job as best as they could and sometimes that meant doing questionable things.

When Sophie returned to her room that night, the smile on her lips didn’t leave for quite some time. She had enjoyed her time with her mates and decided that living there with them wouldn’t be too bad.

She noticed a pair of clothes sitting on her bed and reached to grab them. It was a simple long-sleeved shirt and pants, obviously for her to sleep in. A package of new undergarments sat beside them and Sophie wondered how they’d picked a correct size for her. 

Still excited to have new clothes, Sophie rushed to the bathroom to change. Her blue eyes flickered to the shower curtain and she sighed, knowing that she should probably shower.

Showering was one of the things Sophie struggled with - she hated seeing her body and showering made her confront it head on. However, she didn’t want to seem unclean or smell in a castle full of vampires, so she turned to water on and began to undress.

The hot water felt like heaven on her skin and she let out a soft sound of relief. She closed her eyes as she stood under the faucet, enjoying the warmth in comparison to the coolness of the castle. 

When she opened her eyes to wash her body, she tried her best not to look down, but her hands still felt along the edges of bone as she washed and she tried not to wince.

Once she had finished in the shower, she dried and dressed quickly, not bothering to smear off the fog that had formed on the glass as she rushed out of the bathroom. She collapsed into bed, suddenly feeling exhausted from the day she had had and rolled onto her side.

As she drifted into sleep, her hand came up to wrap around the arm once more.


	12. 1.2

Living in the castle in Volterra was quite the adjustment for Sophie Swan. It'd been nearly two weeks since her fate was decided and she was slowly becoming more used to her new home. That wasn't to say she didn't miss Forks - she missed her family and she missed her friends.

Jacob Black had called her the second day she was in Volterra, yelling at her for not telling him what was going on sooner and leaving her in a terrible mood in general. Charlie was upset for obvious reasons - his oldest, sick daughter had left home for Italy, claiming it would be good for her health.

And Bella hadn't talked to her much at all, calling only a few times, once to tell her that her personal belongings her on her way to her. 

The kings had been giving Sophie space to become more comfortable in her new home. She didn't mind the kings - they were nice and considerate of what she needed or wanted for the most part. There were some things that she ached for and she had hoped that Bella would sneak a pack into her suitcase.

But, unfortunately, no cigarettes were found and Sophie felt herself becoming a little irritable. She had never considered smoking to be a habit for her. In fact, she made it a point to only pick one up when she was fighting a craving. 

Turns out, she fought cravings more than she realized and, therefore, craved a cigarette more with every passing second. 

She had really been trying to eat more since she arrived in Volterra. It was really the reason she had to stay here - Alice claimed she was supposed to heal in this city with her mates and her promise had given Bella that push the make Sophie stay. She could tell a difference in herself as well. Her once prominent ribs were not as visible as they were just a few weeks ago and her legs didn't look so bony. While she knew that some of that was due to how well she was eating before, she couldn't help but feel like she was gaining weight too quickly.

Some nights she found herself doing easy exercises before bed, like rolling her shoulders or doing a round of jumping jacks. It was hard to work out as much as she used to, especially with Afton watching her every move. 

Afton was the only other vampire she had officially met. The kings wanted her to be completely comfortable before she met the rest of the guard. She didn't mind not meeting them. 

So now, Sophie was currently pacing around her room, chewing on her broken fingernails. It was still early in the afternoon and not long had passed since Sophie forced breakfast down her throat. She had asked Afton if she could stay in her room for the day, hoping to nap to sleep away the craving of a quick smoke.

Her nap did not work and she was moving around the room before she knew it.

A soft knock sounded on the wooden door and she quietly told whoever the person was to come in. Afton peeked his head in, shooting Sophie an apologetic smile. Sophie had decided that she liked Afton. He was very sweet, though sometimes shy and unsure of things to say.

"Sorry. I can hear you pacing and was wondering if you needed anything?" Her cheeks burned at his words, embarrassed that she was so restless in front of him. 

"Um." She stammered, avoiding eye contact with the man as much as she could. Would the kings allow her to go out and buy a pack? She had money that Bella had sent her so she didn't have to borrow any. Maybe if she asked Afton, he wouldn't tell her mates. "Can we go outside? Like, walk around the city?"

He looked taken aback, like he didn’t expect her to ask him that. He looked conflicted and Sophie developed a sinking feeling in her gut. “I’m not sure the kings would approve of that.”

“But you’d be with me.” She pushed, growing upset that she was stuck in this castle. “I’ve been here for weeks and I haven’t stepped outside once. I might start going crazy.”

Afton contemplated for a moment before sighing. “We’ll go now. The kings are in a trial so they shouldn’t notice our absence.”

A wide smile grew over Sophie’s face and she nodded. Afton didn’t need to know what she wanted, she decided as she reached for a jacket. It was the beginning of April and it was still a bit chilly outside. 

Afton led her through the hallways, seeming on edge as he peeked around corners. Sophie nearly wanted to laugh at how nervous he was. “If we get caught, I’ll tell them I forced you to take me out.”

A bark of a laugh slipped through Afton’s lips and he looked at her in surprise. “Aro could touch my hand and find out what really happened.”

“Well, it’s kind of the truth.” Sophie shrugged. “I did ask.”

Afton hummed, amusement written across his face. They reached the doors to the city soon enough and Afton ushered her outside. He huffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Where, exactly, do you want to go?”

Sophie tried not to look so anxious. “Is there a grocery store around? Or like a little convenience shop?”

She could see Afton studying her from the corner of her eye and tried to keep from fidgeting. She always twitched and moved around when she was nervous or lying - it was very inconvenient. “Follow me.”

Sophie fought back a sigh of relief as she followed behind her friend. It was strange to count someone other than Jacob and Eli a friend. She didn’t mind though - it was always nice to talk to someone.

The convenience shop they went to was only a few minutes away from the castle and Afton opened the door for her. She paused, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth. “Do you mind waiting out here? I’ll be quick.”  
The same calculating look took over Afton’s face and Sophie nearly lost all of her confidence. He huffed again and nodded his head toward the shop. She grinned and took off inside, heading straight for the check-out counter. 

The blonde cashier looked at her and flashed his straight teeth before he spoke in perfect English. “What can I do for you, signorina?”

“Um.” Sophie started, pointing to the packs of cigarettes lining the back wall. “Can I get two packs of Camels?”

The boy eyed her curiously. “Any ID?”

Sophie nodded, fumbling through her bag and pushed her ID to the man. He studied it before nodding and clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The man turned and grabbed two packs of cigarettes before ringing them up and taking her money.

Sophie thanked him before slipping the packs into her jacket pocket and rushing out the store. She felt a wave of relief slip through her as her fingers curled around the boxes and smiled at Afton as she excited. 

He was glaring at her. “If I’d have known you were getting cigarettes, I wouldn’t have brought you out.”

Sophie shrugged, looking down at her feet. “You didn’t ask.”

Afton held out a hand and Sophie raised a brow at him. “Give them to me.”

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Are you serious? You’re not my dad or the boss of me.”

“They’re not good for you!” Afton argued, keeping his voice down so no one would notice their conversation. “They could kill you.”

“Well I’m halfway there, aren’t I?” She spat back at him before storming away. 

She ignored Afton all the way back to the castle and, when they finally stopped outside the doors, she tried her best to keep her breathing under control. Sophie let out a deep breath, stopping Afton before he could open the door. 

“I already have them.” She told him. “Can we please stay out here so I can smoke one?”

Afton looked like he was regretting every choice he had every made in life but he shrugged his shoulders. “I won’t be able to stop you so go for it.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and grabbed a pack and the lighter she had purchased. She opened and lit a cigarette as fast as she could, sighing in relief as she let out the first drag. Her head fell back and she finally felt less anxious than she had.

She took her time finishing her cigarette and stamped it out when it was finally finished. Afton opened the door and Sophie walked inside, ready to go up to her room now. Afton stepped in front of her. “Are you hungry? We could stop by the kitchens.”

“Not hungry.” She told him and began walking towards her room. 

Afton rushed to her side, not pushing the matter even if it looked like he wanted to. Sophie really didn’t care if he did or not - she wasn’t going to eat either way. The man beside her nudged her shoulder. “I’m sorry. About earlier. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you.”

Sophie smiled at him. “I’m sorry, too. I should’ve told you what I wanted.”

“The kings will be angry when they find out.” He shot her a warning look, but he looked nervous at the same time. 

“I already told you, I’ll take the blame.” She promised. “I can handle them.”

“Well.” Afton smiled. “I appreciate it.”

Afton stopped outside her door and grabbed her wrist before she disappeared inside. “You’re not dying, by the way. We’re making sure that doesn’t happen.”

Her heart clenched in her chest and she squeezed Afton’s hand. A few weeks ago she wouldn’t have cared whether she lived or died. Even now, there was little inklings of thought that crept into her brain about death. “Thank you.”

“Now go shower and brush your teeth. You smell like smoke.”

Sophie laughed at Afton and disappeared inside. He was right - she did smell like cigarette smoke and she wrinkled her nose as she headed to the bathroom. She placed her packs on the desk closest to her as she grabbed a new pair of clothes.

Her shower was quick since she stayed in there long enough to rinse away the bitter smell. She tied her hair in her towel as she brushed her teeth - she always hated how her mouth felt after she smoked. As Sophie dressed, she thought to her family and friends in Forks. 

She hadn’t spoke to her dad or Jacob in a few days and it had been even longer since she’d talked to her mom, Bella, or Eli. Renee had naturally freaked out when she found out that Sophie was in Italy. Eli had merely wished that she’d thought this out more and Sophie found herself agreeing. 

A sigh left her lips as she entered back in the main room, but she froze when she caught sight of Marcus sitting on her bed. Marcus caught her eye and Sophie looked down to see the packs of cigarettes in his hands. He did not look happy.

She plastered a smile on her face. “Hey! How was the trial?”

Marcus ignored her and held up a pack. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Sophie felt her smile drop. She bunched the ends of her sleeves into her palms and looked away from them. “Old habits die hard.”

“These aren’t good for you.” He told her and she scoffed.

“Neither is an eating disorder the last time I checked.” She told him, her voice like ice. “I’m not very good at doing things that are good for me.”

The mood changed rather quickly and Sophie swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. “I’ve already had this conversation with Afton and I don’t want to repeat it. I can’t quit smoking just like that.”

Marcus sighed, setting the packs on her bed as he stood and walked over to her. He placed his hands on both sides of her head and kissed her forehead, resulting in goosebumps breaking out across her body. “I wish you would have told us and we could have found ways to distract you from this.”

“Yeah, well.” She kept her eyes on his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes. She didn’t even want to know if Aro and Caius had found out yet. “Are you going to tell them?”

“I’m sure they’ll find out on their own.” He told her, stepping back and examining her face. “Have you eaten today.”

“This morning.” She mumbled.

“Come on.” Marcus held out a hand. “It’s getting late and I’d like you to try and eat one more thing before you go to sleep.”

Sophie chewed on her bottom lip, slipping her hand through Marcus’s after a moment. They didn’t speak on their way to the kitchen and Marcus didn’t attempt a conversation while Sophie toyed with her food.

She didn’t like eating in front of the kings, feeling extra pressure to finish her entire plate, which she did. It left Marcus grinning proudly, even when he bid her goodnight. Sophie watched him go before closing the door.

She worked out that night.


	13. 1.3

Sophie was surprised when neither Caius nor Aro asked about her smoking habit the next day. She’d expected two angry vampires at her door when she woke up that morning, but she didn’t see any of them until after she was seated for breakfast. 

Marcus had only given her a knowing look and she briefly wondered why he hadn’t told her mates. Not that she wasn’t grateful, but still. 

The three of them greeted her happily and, surprisingly, Sophie was very happy to see all of them. While Sophie hadn’t seen a lot of the three kings since she’d arrived two weeks ago, she did enjoy their presence when they were around. 

It was strange - she had never really cared for boys or relationships in the past. Most of it was because she didn’t want people getting too close to her - disappointing her father and sister was hard enough without throwing a boyfriend in the middle of it. However, she wondered if the mating bond - though still very strange to her - was the reason she enjoyed the kings’ company so much.

Not all the time of course. In fact, this was one of those morning she would’ve preferred being alone with Afton. He knew her eating habits better than her mates did and rarely noticed when she was eating less than she should’ve. 

For example, her breakfast that morning only consisted of one banana and a bowl of green grapes. Since her sister thought she was incapable of taking care of herself, Bella had informed the kings of what regular, fully functioning women ate. By the looks they gave her plate, she knew they weren’t happy with her portions. 

“Good morning, mia cara.” Aro slid into the seat beside her, making sure to keep his hands to himself. She was still wary of touching him, not wanting to give away all of her thoughts just yet, not wanting to burden her mate with those. She offered him a smile, assuming it was difficult for him not to reach out for her. 

“Morning.” She answered to all three of them, adjusting her body so she could look at all three of the kings. Two weeks ago, she wouldn’t have felt so comfortable with all three so close to her - now it comforted her in a way she was still trying to get used to. “What’s the plan for today?”

Marcus had informed her the day before that they wanted to spend the day with her. She figured it was about time since they’d given her her space for this long. Caius tilted his head, eyeing her as he usually did - no smile, just calculating eyes. “Whatever you’d wish to do.”

Sophie hummed, popping a grape into her mouth and chewing slowly as she thought. It’d been ages since she’d drawn anything but she also wished to be outside in the sunshine. “Is there anything we can do outside?”

“The gardens.” Aro answered, casting a look to his brothers. The two nodded in agreement and Sophie raised a brow. “We have gardens if you’re interested in seeing them.”

It sounded lovely and Sophie knew there’d be plenty of sunshine showing for the plants. She nodded, ready to stand when Caius pressed her back down by placing a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a stern look to which she rolled her eyes at, before finishing her small breakfast.

She wanted to throw it back up.

*

The walk to the garden was far, but Sophie didn’t mind it one bit. She enjoyed the exercise she was getting, though she tried to not make that too obvious by walking in step beside her mates. Plus, she still couldn’t wrap her mind around how beautiful the castle was. 

It was beautiful and had an elegance to it, even if most of it was underground. They took tunnels up to the main floor, just as she had with Afton the day before. However, instead of exiting through the front doors of the castle, the kings led Sophie down another set of hallways in the opposite direction. 

The doors they approached were massive. They were made of white wood, carved with beautifully designed flowers and trees that climbed all the way to the top. Sophie stared in awe, amazed that everything in her new home was this beautiful.

Home.

It was the first time that the thought had occurred to her. It didn’t bother her as much as she would’ve thought.

Marcus stepped in front of them, pulling the large doors to them before moving aside so Sophie could see. If she thought the inside of the castle was beautiful, she thought the gardens were radiating. 

She had never seen so many flowers bloom in one place. It was a myriad of colors jumping into her vision at once - yellow, green, purple, pink. It was like she couldn’t grasp it.

But she wanted to. She wanted to paint the way the sun caressed the leaves of the plants. She wanted to capture the way the sun illuminated that one spot in the garden that stood out from the rest. She wanted to capture the texture of leaves curling around each other, of leaves curling around the stone benches placed throughout.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and Sophie suddenly remembered to breathe again. She breathed out a laugh as she looked back at Caius. “Sorry. It’s beautiful.”

The three men chuckled at her, clearly pleased that she was so in awe of their gardens. Caius’ hand trailed from her shoulder to her hand before he led them to one of the benches. Sophie tried her hardest not to flinch as Caius’ hands had travelled done her bone thin arms but, when she failed, she was pleased Caius didn’t mention it. 

Sophie continued to look around as they sat on the bench. These gardens were quite possibly the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life. The sun was shining down, bright against the light blue sky. White clouds dotted the canvas, providing shade in small corners of the garden.

She felt her lips tilt into a smile and leaned her head back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. She rarely felt the sun in Washington and welcomed the change in Volterra. 

“We have something for you.” Aro’s voice filtered through the air and Sophie opened her eyes to look at him. He pulled a small velvet box into view and placed it in Sophie’s hands.

She looked at them with a raised brow, leaving Marcus to motion for her to open it. Sophie pulled the box open, a small gasp leaving her lips when she saw the necklace inside of it. 

The crest looked very similar to the ones hanging around each of her mate’s necks. It was a large ‘V’ hanging off of a strand of black leather. As she looked towards the stone, she saw it was a mix of colors - ruby, sapphire, emerald, and gold. Her dainty fingers trailed over it as she admired the jewelry. 

“Do the colors represent anything?”

“We picked the stones out many years ago.” Aro informed her and she looked to see him holding out his own crest. Red shone within it, mimicking the same ruby inside her own. “I have the ruby stones, Marcus has the sapphire and Caius has the emerald.”

He suddenly looked apologetic. “We weren’t sure what color you like best, so we went for gold.”

“It’s yellow.” Sophie murmured, smiling at him. “My favorite color is yellow.”

Aro smiled back, looking happy now that she’d mentioned it. “Now, as long as you where that, you should be safer walking out the castle than you would be without it - not that you should be walking around by yourself until you’re changed, but… it makes us feel better.”

Sophie nodded, pulling the necklace out of the box before placing it around her neck. It fell just above her breasts, laying delicately against her sweater. “Thank you.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they listened to the birds chirp around the garden. Sophie couldn’t remember the last time she felt so at peace but she never wanted to leave this moment. She was content sitting between the three of her mates and, at this moment, she didn’t have a care in the world.

When she turned to ask a question, her words died in her throat. Aro looked at her, startled by the sound she had made and asked her if she was okay. She nodded, laughing at herself quietly. “I’m fine. Just, you guys are um… sparkling?”  
That was the only thing she could think of to describe them. Their skin was beautiful - the sun reflected off of them leaving their skin shining like a freshly shined diamond. Sophie could already see herself trying to recreate the vision in front of her on a canvas, but she knew she could never truly recreate it. She moved to touch Marcus’ cheek but pulled her hand but as her cheeks heated. “Sorry. You all- your skin is beautiful.”

Sophie felt like Bella. She had never been as awkward as her sister but now she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. 

Marcus laughed at her, brushing a hand over her head. “Thank you, mia cara. It only looks like this in the sun.”

She hummed, watching each of them for a few seconds more before sighing and placing her head on Caius’ shoulder, still clutching his hand in hers. “Do you come out here a lot?”

“Sometimes.” Caius answered. “Though, these two more than me. If I need a break, I usually paint.”

She loved that she had a common interest with Caius. “Will you ever show me the gallery?”

“Of course. Whenever you’d like.”

Sophie hummed in response. “Anytime you’re free. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t do much around here.”

They all smiled at her joke but Caius nodded in agreement. “How are you liking it here so far?”

Sophie sighed, looking away to a tall pink flower. It swayed lightly in the warm breeze, dancing along in the wind. “I like it. I miss home and my family but this has been a nice escape.”

She paused for a moment. “I’ve always wanted to see the world but I never thought I’d get out of Forks - especially once I got sick. I didn’t think I’d fit in anywhere else besides with my dad and with the few friends I have. And when I first got here, I didn’t expect to feel so…” Sophie couldn’t think of the right word. She didn’t know if there was a word to explain how she felt. 

“I miss home.” She repeated. “But this isn’t too far from it, I guess.”

Caius’ grip on her hand had tightened but when she turned to look at him, he was staring down at her with a fond expression written across his face. When she turned to Marcus and Aro, neither of them looked like they had expected that answer from her. 

“Have you been in contact with your family?” Aro asked, tilting his head in wonder. 

Sophie nearly scoffed. “I think my sister talks to you three more than me nowadays. I’ve talked to my dad a few times since I’ve left and he texts me a lot to check in. I know he’s worried.”

She chewed on her lips for a moment. “My mom and I aren’t that close, but she tries to keep in contact at least once a week. She freaked when she found out I came here.” Sophie laughed at the memory. Renee had never really cared what Sophie did before as long as she was trying to stay healthy. “Eli and Jacob talk to me a lot. Eli more than Jacob but she gets it.”

“Who are Eli and Jacob?” Marcus but in, curious to the new names Sophie had mentioned. 

She looked away from the pretty pink flowers, forgetting that she hadn’t told the kings about her friends. “They’re my best friends. I’ve known Jacob since we were in diapers so he’s basically like a brother to me. And I met Eli in-.” 

Sophie stopped talking immediately and pulled her hand away from Caius’ to set it in her lap. She twitched her fingers nervously - she wasn’t sure what Bella had told them about her treatments and she nearly blurted out that she’d met Eli in inpatient care. 

While she liked her mates, she still didn’t like speaking about her illness and the treatments she had gone through in the past. It was a lot of baggage to burden someone with and she didn’t want these men to shy away from her. 

“Sophie?” Marcus began to raise a hand to her shoulder, but she flinched away from his touch. It wasn’t a major flinch, but the kings still detected the motion. Marcus looked as though he’d been kicked in the gut. 

“Sorry.” She winced. Of course she’d go and ruin things now after it’d been such a nice morning. She sighed and looked towards him, reaching a hand to his. “Sorry, I don’t like talking about some things. I don’t know what all Bella has told you about me. I met Eli in an inpatient facility.”

She knew they were waiting for her to continue and she took a deep breath. “I got really bad a few years ago and I was admitted to raise my weight a little bit. Eli was in the same hospital as I was and she was the only person who had spoken to me. We kept in touch after we were both discharged.”

“So inpatient is where you go when you get really bad?” Marcus asked and Sophie shrugged.

“Yeah, I mean… if your BMI gets too low or when you just stop trying.” She tried her best to ignore their pained reactions. “It’s usually about three or four weeks of treatment at a time. It’s a lot of therapy or meal planning and stupid shit like that. I hated it.”

“How many times were you admitted?” Aro’s voice was low and Sophie adverted her eyes back to the cracked cobblestones beneath her feet. 

“Only twice.” She told them. Sophie decided they didn’t need to know that she hadn’t even completed her second round of inpatient care. This news was hard enough on them already. “Eli’s been in four times, I think? Maybe only three.”

No one spoke for a long moment and Sophie was beginning to panic. Maybe she shouldn’t have told them that. If they were reacting like this to information such as inpatient stays, how were they going to react when she told them how ugly this illness actually was? How would Aro react when he saw her thoughts?

Suddenly, Sophie was being pulled into a body and a face was being pushed against her neck. She recognized Marcus’ deep brown hair and realized it was him hugging her. He was inhaling deeply, pressing her against him tightly, as if he were afraid she’d disappear. 

Another hand reached for her and she clutched Caius’ hand tightly. Her blue eyes peeked over Marcus’ shoulder to Aro, whose face was scrunched in pain and she felt her heart stutter in her chest. She wished she could reach out to comfort him as well but she was not ready to share her demons. 

Not for the first time, she tried her best to write her apologies on her face.


	14. 1.4

Sophie hated that Aro felt so left out all the time. After their afternoon in the garden, she’d been trying to think of ways for Aro to hold her like Marcus and Caius. She didn’t know the full extent of Aro’s abilities and what exactly he had to do in order to read thoughts. 

When she asked Afton that night, he informed her that Aro could only read thoughts through skin to skin contact. He couldn’t see them over fabric and suddenly an idea clicked in Sophie’s brain. 

When Sophie asked Afton to bring Caius to her, he only gave her a strange look before disappearing down the hallway. Sophie disappeared into her room, making sure to hide the cigarettes before Caius arrived. She stopped for a moment as she thought, then cleared the table closest to her as she sat things on the floor.

“What are you doing?” She nearly jumped out of her skin at Caius’ voice and slapped a hand to her chest. He stood right next to the open door, looking at her and her mess with narrowed eyes. 

“You scared me.” She tried to glare at him but was too distracted to worry about it too much. Sophie reached for him and grasped his hand tightly. “Do you have things to sew?”

His eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown. “For?”

Sophie sighed. “Well, I was just thinking about Aro. And maybe… I don’t know? I could sew a pair of gloves that way he could hold my hand without me worrying about him seeing my thoughts.” She looked towards the ground, scared that Caius might think it was stupid.

Instead, his hand gripped her chin and tilted her head to face him. Surprisingly, a ghost of a smile rested on his lips and he stared at her with a look of complete adoration that had her skin turning red. “I believe he’d love that, mia cara. I’ll see what I can find.”

Sophie grinned at his retreating figure and plopped down on her bed to wait for him. As she waited, she swung her legs back and forth, hoping her idea would work. Her blue eyes stared down at her legs, covered in a pair of dark gray sweats. She began to chew on her bottom lip before she reached down to pull the sweats tightly against her thigh. 

She barely held back a wince. Sophie hadn’t been able to weigh herself once since she’d arrived in Volterra, which had sent her into a panic more than once. Based on what she was seeing though, she had gained at least a few pounds. She wished there was some way to weigh herself and was honestly kind of shocked the kings hadn’t tried to make sure she was gaining. 

Perhaps they didn’t know.

“Soph?” Caius’ voiced made her jump once again and she yanked her hands away from her thigh, blushing a bright red.

“You’ve got to announce your presence better.” She mumbled as she stood from the bed. Caius was looking at her curiously and she knew he had seen what she was doing, but she directed her attention to the thread in his hands. “What’d you bring me?”

Different colors and materials were dumped onto the table Sophie had cleared earlier and she gently thumbed through the selections. Caius had brought lace and wool, silk and cotton. Many colors were laid out including black, white, blue, and - to Sophie’s delight - yellow. 

She pursed her lips before looking at her mate through her lashes. “Are you sure this will work? He won’t be able to see my thoughts?”

“He won’t.” Caius said with a shake of his head, tracing the fabric just the same as she was. “If he touches your skin, he can. But over other fabric he can’t.”

She nodded, finally picking up the cotton and threads of yellow and white. The castle was cold, so the cotton gloves would also help keep her warm when she wore them. Caius slipped the rest of the sewing supplies into her hands before guiding them to the bed to sit down. 

Sophie set to work quickly. The colors bled together nicely - a solid white glove with thin yellow lines slicing through it horizontally. Caius watched her from her side, casting glances between her hands and face. He sighed, settling himself back into a more comfortable position. 

He was dressed down from his normal black suit and cloak, instead settling for a maroon long sleeved shirt and black dress pants. His blonde hair was tied back in a bun and Sophie couldn’t help but appreciate the different look. 

“Why won’t you let Aro see your thoughts?” Caius asked from beside her, tone slightly too casual.

Sophie tensed, stilling her hands. Caius reached for a hand placed in Sophie’s lap, making her flinch back and Caius reacted as if he’d been burned. She didn’t apologize, didn’t look at him as she tried to find the words. Her fingers fumbled with the thread in her lap.

“You guys don’t understand what it’s like to live in a body you don’t like.” She started, wincing at her words. “Before I was diagnosed, I had my entire life planned out and I was looking forward to it. Then I got sick and all I could think about was how many calories I was burning and consuming. I was obsessed with losing weight and it’s ruined my life.”

“My thoughts are heavy. The thought of Aro - of all of you - knowing what I think of myself is scary.” She sighed, swallowing against the lump in her throat. “I… I don’t want you to see me the way that I see myself.”

Caius was silent and Sophie reached up to wipe a tear from her face. After a moment, she began to think that Caius wouldn’t say anything and slowly began to work on her gloves again. However, just as she began to sew again, Caius’ arm slipped around her shoulder, pulling her into him until he could wrap his other around her waist.  
He still didn’t utter a word but Sophie didn’t mind as he held her. Her tears were warm against her face compared to the coolness of Caius slipping beneath her clothes. It was the first time Sophie opened up to any of them and, surprisingly, she didn’t feel as bad about it as she thought she would.

“I want you to feel better, Soph.” Caius finally whispered, moving his chin to rest on her head. “I wish you could see yourself the way we all see you.”

She didn’t bother asking how he did. 

*

Sophie stayed in her rooms the next day. Her gloves were finished but Caius had left the sewing materials in her room so she passed the time by smoking and sewing. Now, there was a pretty purple sweater on her bed and a cigarette between her fingers.

She hadn’t ate, telling Afton that she was feeling sick and that she’d eat later. He had offered to bring something to her rooms, but she refused. Afton tried pushing the issue a little further before reluctantly agreeing to try again at lunch.

It was the first meal she had missed in the few weeks she had been in Volterra - Sophie missed the feeling of an empty stomach. Her phone pinged beside her and she placed her cigarette between her lips as she reached for it. Eli had been texting her for the last hour about this guy she’d met. She was going on and on about how sweet and understand and hot he was. 

She had been doing really well since Sophie had last seen her. She was sticking to the meal plan her doctor had gave her and was really trying to turn her life around. Sophie had never stuck to one of the meal plans in her life but she wondered if she could get ahold of Eli’s in the future.

Sophie was in the middle of texting Eli back when her phone rang. She rolled her eyes when Bella’s name popped up on her screen but answered anyway. “Hello?”

“Hey Soph.” Bella sounded cheerful as she spoke. “How are things over there?”

It had been a few days since Sophie had actually talked to her sister. Now that she was more settled, she was talking to Sophie more than the kings, which Sophie was glad for. “They’re alright. I miss home.”

“We miss you over here too, Soph.” She answered. “But this is for the best. Get better and you can come home.”

She felt a flicker of annoyance as she stood to flick her ashes out the window. “And if I don’t get better? Am I never allowed home again?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Bella said. “And you will get better, Alice told you she saw it. The kings told me you have been doing fine.”

Sophie didn’t reply but made a face at her sister’s answer. The kings meant well but they didn’t really know how she was feeling. Honestly Sophie didn’t know how she was feeling most of the time. She was still adjusting to her new life and learning about her mates. She really hadn’t thought too much about her recovery.

Which is probably why she hadn’t noticed the weight she’d gained in the few weeks she’d been there. She had gained almost five pounds in Forks before she left inpatient but, once she was home, she lost the same amount. Now in Volterra, she couldn’t make out her ribs as easily as before and her thighs didn’t seem as small. Sophie had more energy throughout the day, but food still made her nervous. 

Which was really the reason she had stayed in bed for breakfast.

“Soph? You still there?” Bella’s voice cut through her thoughts and Sophie blinked, noticing her fingers were dancing around on her arm. She snatched them away quickly. 

“Yeah, sorry I was just thinking.” Sophie answered, with a sigh. “I’m doing fine.”

“They haven’t really told me how your recovery is going. Did they give you a diet plan or anything?” Bella asked and Sophie began to frown.

“What all did you tell them?” She asked, moving to lay on her stomach. “They probably don’t even know what a diet plan is. Afton usually sits with me at meals so I just try and eat whatever he gives me.”  
“Is it enough though? Why haven’t you told them what you need in order to start your recovery again? Have they weighed you or kept track of your meals?” Sophie scrunched her face up.

“No they haven’t done any of that. I know how much I’m-.” Bella cut her off before she could continue and Sophie felt another flicker of annoyance. 

“Then how are you supposed to know if you’re getting better or not?” She cried out. “You need to tell them everything!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sophie scoffed. “I was sure you’d told them everything they needed to know. You were talking to them more than you were talking to me for weeks.”

“Seriously?” Sophie could almost see Bella rolling her eyes. “Because I know how you are and I knew you weren’t going to tell them how to help you.”

“Well maybe I don’t want help yet!” She raised her voice but then sighed when she realized Afton could probably hear her. Sophie ran a hand down her face, suddenly feeling tired. “Look, I’ll talk to them. I’m going to go, so I’ll call you later. Bye Bells.”

Before her sister could reply, Sophie hung up the phone and threw it on her bed beside her. She hadn’t realized that she wasn’t truly ready to heal until she had said it to Bella and she didn’t know what to do.

Recovery was more than just following a meal plan and gaining weight. You have to want to recover to truly do it. Eating disorders could happen to anyone at any weight - just because you’re eating more doesn’t mean you’re developing a better relationship with food or your body.

Sophie stood from the bed, moving into the bathroom before taking off her shirt and pressing her heels together. As she stared at herself, she brought her dainty hands to her ribs, tracing the faint outline that was prominent only a few months ago. Her thighs still had a small distance between them and her collarbones were still visible. 

She could tell she had gained a little weight in her face and pulled the skin back on her cheek to bring out her cheekbones. A lump grew in her throat as she moved her hands to her hair. It was still thin but there was none on her fingers when she pulled them back.

She was getting better and she should’ve been happy about it. It was nice to not worry about turning into a living skeleton but Sophie couldn’t help the sinking feeling she felt in her gut. She worried that her sister would call Aro and tell him what she had said.

Maybe Bella wouldn’t tell him everything right away but he would find out that she wasn’t really recovering and there would be changes. She wasn’t quite sure she could handle that.

When Sophie left the bathroom and bellyflopped on her bed, she finished her message to Eli before calling out for Afton. He was in her room in seconds, standing in front of her bed waiting for her to speak. His brow was creased in worry and she knew he had heard her conversation but she didn’t care anymore.

“Are the kings busy?” She asked, propping her chin on her hands. 

“I believe they’re finishing with a trial.” Afton answered, tilting his head. 

“Can you take me to them when they’re done?” Sophie asked, sitting up and reaching for her gloves. “I want to talk to them.”


	15. 1.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally have uploaded all the chapters I have completely written! 
> 
> It may be a while before the next update since I'm currently working and a full-time student.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! <3

Sophie sat in Aro’s office, twiddling her thumbs as she waited for her mates. Afton had promised that they’d be done soon, but she’d been waiting for nearly thirty minutes. 

Turns out, thirty minutes is a long time to regret the decision of coming down here.

Sophie didn’t even know what she was going to say to them. At least they’d been too busy to speak to Bella if she had actually called. But, while she didn’t know exactly what she was going to say, Sophie knew she had to talk to them. 

She had to give them something because she had made a promise, to them and her family. She was going to recover.   
Sophie took a deep breath to try and settle the growing anxiety inside of her as the door opened. She whipped around, ready to greet her mates when she locked eyes with another vampire.

She recognized him instantly - he was the man who had greeted them when they first arrived in Volterra. This man was tall and his eyes were sharp as he observed her. If she remembered right, his name was Felix. 

Sophie noticed there were three other vampires behind him, each of them from the throne room when she'd met the kings. An uneasy feeling settled in her as she met eyes with the girl, remembering the way she had made Edward shake in pain. 

She twisted nervously in her chair, trying her best to ignore the eyes on her. The four looked mildly uncomfortable, though they seemed to be hiding it better than Sophie was. More shuffling sounded and Caius was pushing through the four vampires to greet Sophie. 

The look the blonde king shot to the guards was deadly and had Sophie shrinking back from him. Aro and Marcus entered next, Marcus coming to stand behind her with a protective hand on her shoulder.

“Sophie.” Aro started, releasing Felix’s hand. “I suppose now would be a good time for you to meet the Elite guard. Felix, Demetri, Jane, and Alec.”

Sophie reached up to grip Marcus’ hand in her own, alerting the rest of the vampires that she was clearly uncomfortable. Though Sophie had a bundle of nerves in her stomach at the moment, she forced a small smile to her face. She’d be living with these vampires for, likely, the rest of her life - she might as well be nice to them. “Nice to meet you all.”

The guard members shared looks amongst themselves, as if they weren’t expecting Sophie to greet them. Felix and Demetri nodded back after a moment, though the witch twins only stared at the girl.

“That’s good enough, Aro.” Caius spoke, obviously sensing Sophie’s discomfort. Aro nodded back to his brother before focusing on the Elite guard, dismissing them easily.   
The four of them left as soon as Aro had told them to and he shut the door behind them, leaving Sophie alone with the kings. She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, squeezing Marcus’ hand in thanks. 

“We didn’t know you were in here.” Aro said, softly. “Or I would’ve sent them away.”

Marcus stepped to Sophie’s side but didn’t let go of her hand. “She was going to meet them eventually, Aro. And now that Sophie knows them, they could help guard her if it’s ever necessary.”

Sophie offered Aro a reassuring smile when he looked towards her. He sighed deeply with a nod, agreeing with Marcus. His eyes strayed to Marcus’ and Sophie’s hands, narrowing in on the yellow gloves. Aro raised a brow at her and Sophie glanced to Caius.

“I made them last night.” She mumbled, letting go of Marcus’ hand to pick at the gloves. “I see the way you look at Marcus and Caius when they touch me or hold my hand. Now you can too.”

It was silent for a moment and Sophie looked up to Aro. He looked at her as if she had placed the stars in the sky, his eyes wide and full of adoration for her. Sophie could feel her cheeks flush and she looked away from him. “I didn’t know if it’d work or not, so I had Caius help me.”

Aro was kneeling in front of her in less than a second, still looking at her with that look on his face. Sophie watched as Aro hesitantly took her hands, holding her breath as she did. Aro held Sophie’s hand loosely, letting her decide if she wanted to grip his own or not.

“Can you…” Sophie was almost scared to ask, keeping her eyes on their joined hands. “Do you see anything?”

“No.” Aro breathed and Sophie glanced to his face. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and she smiled at him when she saw how relieved he looked. He twisted his wrist to gently entwine their fingers together. 

Sophie let out a long breath, feeling much better about being around Aro now. Her eyes moved past Aro’s shoulder and she smiled at Caius again. The blonde looked pleased as well, shooting Sophie a wink when their eyes met. 

Aro pressed his lips to the back of the gloves before moving so he was sitting beside her. “Why were you waiting for us here?”

A bundle of nerves erupted in her stomach at once and she suddenly remembered why she had been in their office in the first place. Part of her just wanted to say forget it and lie but another part of her knew she had to stop pushing off the inevitable. 

“I…” She breathed, averting her eyes to her and Aro’s hands that rested in her lap. How was she supposed to start this conversation? She had never openly talked about her eating disorder and the most she had talked about recovery options was with her doctors. “I haven’t been completely honest with you guys?”

She could instantly feel the mood change in the room and tightened her grip on Aro’s hands. “I just mean that… Part of the reason that I’m here is because Alice said that this is where I recover. And maybe that’s true but, I can’t do that if I’m not trying.”

When no one said anything, Sophie continued. “When you have an eating disorder, your recovery is the hardest thing you go through. In most cases, you work with a doctor to monitor weight and follow diet plans and go to therapy. Obviously, that’s not what’s been happening here.”

“I don’t know what Bella has told you. I had assumed she was going to tell you everything but I just got off the phone with her and found out that that wasn’t true.” She took another deep breath, trying to keep the lump out of her throat. “So I haven’t told you guys that I probably haven’t been eating what I should be. I know I’ve been gaining weight but I still don’t want to because I’m scared that I’ll never stop.”

Aro’s grip was so tight that Sophie felt like her bones were pressing together. From the corner of her eye, she could see Caius gripping the back of the seat in front of him. She couldn’t see Marcus but she had a feeling his reaction was the same.

“Anyway.” Sophie breathed, still struggling to find the words that she wanted to say. She hoped she was making sense to the three men in front of her. “I don’t know if I’m completely ready to try… I don’t know if I ever will be. But I’m going to need all of you to do this.”

It was quiet for a few moments. She felt as if a small weight had been lifted off of her shoulders after she was done and felt happy that she had told them this. Marcus sighed from behind her and placed a hand on the top of her head. “So, how do we start this diet plan?”

“Um.” Sophie let go of Aro’s hand to fish her phone out of her back pocket. “Eli’s doctor just gave her a new one so I’ll ask if she can send that to me and we can work off of that.”

She finished sending the text to her friend, leaving Aro to take hold of her hand once more. His lips were set into a serious line as he stared at her. “Thank you for telling us, Soph. All we want is for you to get better. And no matter how long it takes, or what happens, you’re always going to have the three of us to support you.”

Sophie felt as if her heart was swelling in her chest as a smile tugged on her lips. She placed one gloved hand on Aro’s cheek. “I know I will.”


	16. 1.6

The next few days consisted of quite a few changes for Sophie. Due to the kings not having any upcoming trials, they spent their free time creating a new routine for Sophie. Eli had sent her diet plan to Sophie as soon as she had asked, wishing her good luck once again.

Aro had sent a guard out to purchase a scale to keep track of Sophie’s weight. Though, once Sophie had caught sight of it, Aro told her that it was going to be placed in his office and she would only be weighed when the kings permitted her to be. 

She was itching to see what her weight was now that she was in Volterra. Back in Forks, the numbers flirted with going down to the double digits at her worst. 

Afton had been updated on the new meals that Sophie would be eating. After Eli had sent her own plan, Sophie’s mates printed the papers out and placed them in the kitchens, so anyone who was accompanying Sophie to her meals would know if she was eating properly or not. 

Sophie was beginning to feel nervous about the whole thing. She knew that her mates would be as patient as they needed to be, but she still worried that they’d be upset if she fell back again. The morning she was to begin the new treatment, she stood outside of Aro's office with Caius, nervously twisting her fingers. 

Aro wanted to know her weight before she ate breakfast that morning and had sent Caius to get her as soon as she woke up. It would be the first time she had weighed herself in almost two months and, though she knew it had gone up, she was struggling to control her emotions. 

Depending on what her weight was, she could easily push off her recovery until she was better prepared, mentally. 

Caius’ hand wrapped around her wrist and Sophie watched as he guided it to his lips. He pressed small, featherlight kisses to the area, keeping his eyes locked with Sophie’s. She could feel her face flush as her thoughts were replaced with how Caius looked and how soft his lips were against her skin.

He pulled back a moment later, a smirk growing on his face. “Calm down, my love. You won’t even see the number if it makes you feel better.”

She didn’t honestly know if not seeing the number on the scale would make her feel better about the situation. Caius noticed the way her eyes clouded over and placed a hand on her cheek to draw her out of her thoughts again. “We’ll be right next to you, Soph. I promise.”

She tried to smile at him, but instead wrapped her hand around his hand and gripped it tightly. Caius opened the door to Aro’s office and tugged Sophie in behind him, leaving her no choice but to follow. 

Marcus and Aro were quickly conversing against Aro’s desk when they entered. When they caught sight of Sophie, they turned their attention to her with bright smiles. Marcus gripped Sophie’s free hand, which was covered by a new pair of gloves that she had knitted. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

She only hummed in response, too focused on the scaled that was lined up with the wall to the right. Her grip was tight in both Marcus and Caius’ hands and the two shared a glance over her head. 

Aro stood in front of her. After a look to Caius, he grabbed the hand that Caius gave to him and squeezed it, the soft fabric moving under his skin. Sophie’s baby blue eyes flitted to him. “We’re not letting you look at the number this time, Sophie.”

“Actually.” She spoke up, trying to think of a way to make this easier on her. “Maybe I should look to see what it is today. That way I have some kind of idea.”

“Idea for what?” Aro’s brow shot up and Sophie suddenly felt as if she was being criticized by her father. She ducked her head, shoulders rolling up close to her neck. 

“I don’t know.” 

“If you’re not ready for this, we can wait to weigh you and just stick to the diet plan for now.” Aro suggested. The three kings looked at Sophie patiently, each waiting to hear what she wanted to do then. 

She took a deep breath, trying to decide if she would be okay with not seeing the number. For years, she had obsessed over what the scale said and had lived her life to keep the number low. Even in inpatient facilities, she had watched the number rise and fall, used tricks to keep her doctors happy. 

Maybe the key to recovery was to stop watching the number.

So with another deep sigh, Sophie nodded her head. “Okay. I won’t look.”

She didn't say anything about how relieved they looked, instead choosing to follow Aro to the scale. Marcus had dropped her hand to place his on her lower back and steadied her when she turned to face the office. 

"How'd you do this back in Forks?" Caius asked. "Is there a specific way to be doing this?"

"I didn't have this many clothes on." Sophie turned her head, allowing an amused smile to pull at her lips due to the look on the blonde's face. She had only said it to mess with the king and was pleased to see how his eyes flashed before he closed them and turned away.

"Very funny, Sophie." Marcus was smiling down at her. "Step back just a bit now."

Sophie hesitated, curling her fingers around Marcus’ sleeve. “Is it at zero?”

His smile faltered and his eyes flickered back to Aro. After a moment, Marcus nodded again. “It’s at zero.”

She nodded before stepping back, placing her bare foot onto the cold glass on the scale before dropping Aro's hand. She tried not to think as the three kings looked down, obviously reading the number. She tried not to think about the sharp inhale of breath, the tensing of Caius beside her. 

She did, however, jump off the scale as soon as Aro said she could. Her head turned, trying to get a glimpse of the number before it disappeared when Marcus grabbed her chin, raising his brows in a knowing way.

Her shoulders dropped and she turned away from the scale again, not commenting on the grim faces the three of them wore. Her fingers wrapped around Aro’s sleeve this time and he squeezed her free hand. 

“Now.” Caius pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “Let’s get you something for breakfast.”

*

Sophie watched as Aro placed a cold glass of water beside her full plate before he slid into the chair across from her. Marcus sat to her left, Caius on her right, each of them watching as she stared at her food. 

She wasn't even watched this much when she was in inpatient. 

Aside from the glass of water, Sophie had a bowl of yoghurt and half of a bagel on a plate. She had been able to pick from the multiple items on her diet plan but she was now regretting the decision to eat the bagel - it had been a major fear food for years now. 

"You don't have to eat all of it." Marcus murmured, running a hand through her hair. She melted into his touch, momentarily distracted from the food that sat in front of her. 

“Or we can pick another food.” Caius said, eyes flickering between the bowls and Sophie’s blank face. “Start out with something easier for you.”

Sophie didn’t say anything. She stared at the bagel, nearly tempted by Caius’ solution. She had had choices in the inpatient facilities too, but most of the time she never ate anything. 

It felt like it had been ages since Sophie was ready to try. She tried to remember why she was in Italy in the first place and, while she hadn’t been speaking to Bella, she knew Charlie would be disappointed if she came home still looking like a bag of bones. 

“Do you guys eat?”

A thick silence answered her and Sophie peeked up through her lashes to see the kings exchanging glances. She rolled her eyes. “Do you eat anything other than blood? Do you eat human food?”

“No.” Aro answered, his brows furrowed in confusion. “We don’t need it to survive. It has no taste to us but it won’t harm us.”

She closed her eyes, resting her forehead on her hand. When she was in recovery for the first time, her dad used to eat every meal with her. He would go as slow as Sophie needed him to and it had helped it a lot.

Sophie swallowed. “Can you eat with me? Just a little bit?”

After another moment of silence, Sophie heard the spoon in the yoghurt bowl move and she opened her eyes. Caius had gripped the spoon and held it close to his mouth, readying himself to eat it. 

Marcus moved beside her, setting another spoon in her own hand for her to use. She stared at it for a moment before dipping it into the bowl and scooping out her own bite. Caius placed the yoghurt in his mouth first and Sophie followed, humming at the sweet taste. 

Her free hand gripped Caius' and she offered him a soft smile before the two of them ate once more.


End file.
